Traffic Impact on Incentive Contracting Project Time Performance during Highway Construction

The volume of highway traffic in the United States continues to increase. In the face of this there is a concomitant need to improve and repair transportation infrastructure. Construction frequently requires a reduction in capacity during construction activity; consequently road users as well as adjacent businesses must endure the delays and inconveniences associated with transportation construction. Recognizing the problems that construction can produce, state highway agencies （SHAs） have continually sought ways to minimize the negative impact from their construction operations. Incentive contracting has played an important role in this effort to improve project performance. The Florida Department of Transportation （FDOT） is one of the leading SHAs using such innovative contracting methods as Incentive/Disincentive （I/D）, A＋B （cost plus time bidding） combined with I/D, No Excuse Bonus, and Liquidated Savings. This paper analyzes the traffic impact on incentive project time performance using highway construction projects recently completed in Florida. Project data obtained from FDOT were evaluated using time performance indices. A survey of traffic impact on project work types was performed in Florida in order to evaluate the relationship between construction project types and road traffic influence during construction. Based on the survey results, the 38 most frequently used work types in Florida during the study period were categorized into three traffic impact levels： （1） high traffic impact, （2） medium traffic impact, and （3） low traffic impact. Statistical analysis was performed. The results show that there are significant differences on project time performance between low and high impact levels as well as low and medium impact levels.

OSH star enterprise pilot scheme——a partnership approach to improve the safety performance of construction industry in Hong Kong SAR

Background: The Occupational Safety and Health Council(OSHC) is committed to improve the safety performance of the high risk construction industry.In the past three years,about 40% of the fatal accidents in the construction industry were related to Renovation,Maintenance,Alteration and Addition(RMAA).Due to the poor safety record,some of the RMAA contractors have difficulty in obtaining the Employees' Compensation Insurance(ECI) cover in the market,or if they could obtain the ECI,the premium rate would be exceedingly high.In view of this,the OSHC,the Labour Department jointly launched"OSH Star Enterprise-Pilot Scheme on Safety Accreditation for the RMAA Industry",which prompts the industry to take practicable safety measures to improve the safety of working environment and reduce occupational injuries.The program also helps the stakeholders and insurers to identify safety-conscious contractors and thereby provide them with a favourable premium rate under the Employees' Compensation Insurance Residual Scheme(ECIRS).Objectives: The OSHC launches the Pilot Scheme to improve the safety performance of the RMAA industry through providing safety training,subsidizing enterprise to purchase safety equipment and providing safety audit.We also use financial incentive to encourage RMAA enterprises to join the Pilot Scheme-for those who are accredited as "OSH Star Enterprise"could receive a premium discount from the ERIRS when obtaining the ECI.The scheme also differentiates those safety-conscious and law-abiding enterprises from the poor performers,which helps the industry and public identifying the RMAA contractors who pay attention to work safety.Methods: The Pilot Scheme targets RMAA enterprises that employ less than 50 employees in Hong Kong.A three-pronged approach is used to improve the safety performance of the RMAA industry: the Pilot Scheme provides(1) financial support for the RMAA contractors to buy a transportable temporary anchor device and full body safety harness and its anchor system;(2) safety training on RMAA work safety and safety & health supervisor course;and(3) safety audit.Results: Enterprises that successfully pass the safety audit and satisfied the Scheme requirements will be accredited as"OSH Star Enterprise",which will be valid for two years.These enterprises can also be upgraded to"OSH Gold Star Enterprise"based on their continuous improvement in safety performance.OSHC will set up a register of OSH-accredited enterprises in RMAA works for reference of the public to facilitate their choosing of accredited contractors.The Employees' Compensation Insurance Residual Scheme Bureau will provide privileged premium rate for enterprises with OSH accreditation."OSH Star Enterprise"could enjoy 40% discounts when joining their insurance scheme.For example,a skilled worker's annual premium can be reduced by about HK $ 36,000.While,the "OSH Gold Star Enterprise"could enjoy 50% discounts when joining their insurance scheme,which means a skilled worker's annual premium can be reduced up to HK $ 45,000.Achievements: This Pilot Scheme offers practical assistance as well as attractive financial incentives for the RMAA industry to improve their safety performance.The Employees'Compensation Insurance Residual Scheme provides premium discounts for enterprises that have a good safety record.It provides incentive for RMAA contractors to actively participate in the Pilot Scheme.The Scheme demonstrates that by providing a safe working environment and appropriate personal protective equipment to workers,the enterprise not only helps to reduce the accident rate of the industry but also receive an economic return.The Pilot Scheme bridges stakeholders of RMAA industry,the government and the insurance industry creating an "all-win"situation.This partnership approach to prevent injuries and accidents in the construction industry could be an effective model for other industries.

Application of system dynamics for assessment of sustainable performance of construction projects

Sustainable performance is expected to become a major factor when examining the feasibility of a construction project in terms of its life cycle performance. The study on which this paper is based developed a simulation model, using system dy- namics methodology, to assess the sustainable performance of projects. Three major factors are used to examine project sus- tainable performance (PSP): the sustainability of economic development (E), the sustainability of social development (S), and the sustainability of environmental development (En). Sustainable development ability (SDA) was used as a prototype to evaluate the degree of sustainable performance. The simulation software ‘ithink’ was used to help with the application of the model to a real life case. This paper explains and demonstrates the procedures used to develop the model and finally offers an approach for assessing the feasibility of a construction project in terms of its sustainable performance.

A climatic environmental performance assessment method for ecological city construction:Application to Beijing Yanqi Lake

In contrast to the input perspective for evaluating planning metrics, this research takes the climatic environmental output effects as the starting point for assessing ecological city construction. Based on approaches such as observation data analysis, meteorological model simulation, and remote sensing, a set of climatic environmental performance assessment methods is developed and established. These methods mainly focus on surface ventilation assessment and urban thermal environment assessment. With the Yanqi Lake ecological development demonstration area located in Huairou district, Beijing as an example, the assessment of the local climatic environment before and after the construction are conducted, and relevant policy suggestions for urban planning and construction are presented. The results show that after development, the ventilation capacity will decrease overall and the ventilation potential index will decrease from 0.53 to 0.44. While this is not a large reduction, and is still at a favorable level, the ventilation potential in some local areas will markedly decrease. Furthermore, the thermal environment will become poorer to some extent; the urban heat island(UHI) area and intensity will increase compared with the current situation;continuous heat islands may occur in local areas; the UHI potential index of the core area will rise from 0.0878 to 0.1217(still a favorable level).Therefore, urban surfaces should be carefully developed and arranged during planning. It is suggested that the negative impacts of large areas of urban construction on the local climatic environment in the Yanqi Lake could be mitigated by 1) strengthening the airflow by introducing fresh,cold, northwesterly air via constructed ventilation corridors, 2) increasing the number of ecological cold sources, particularly for water bodies and green belts to prevent the UHI in the southern region of Yanqi Lake from becoming linked with each other, and 3) considering a pre-program before sub-domain and building planning to obtain optimum building locations. Different construction standards should be developed for different ventilation potential and UHI intensity levels. For strong heat island areas, land areas should be reserved to serve as cold sources.

Examining the Impact of Welfare Facilities on Building Construction Employee’s Performance in the Eastern Region of Ghana

Building Construction employees essentially required sufficient welfare facilities such as a place for washing, shower, change over, eat and drink, a place to store and hang clothing. Yet, these fundamental necessities are regularly disregarded. Decent welfare facilities can absolutely promote health and well-being and can aid to avert contracting diseases at building construction site. The aim of this study is to examine the impact of welfare facilities on building construction workers performance in the Eastern Region Ghana. The objectives were to identify welfare facilities provided by building construction firms, evaluate the satisfaction level of building construction firms’ employees with welfare facilities in Eastern Region, and determine the relationship between provision of welfare facilities and employee’s performance. The study employed convenient sample to investigate 80 building construction employees through questionnaires administration. Data generated from the survey was further analyzed using SPSS, weighted mean formula was used to determine the mean ranking, and descriptive and inferential statistics such as mean score, percentages, frequencies and chi square were used. The study reveals that the extent of welfare facilities at various construction sites was almost unavailability of sanitary and toilet facilities, unavailability of washing facilities, and unavailability of changing room, whiles drinking water and locker facilities were available but not sufficient. The study further finds that construction employees are dissatisfied with the condition of welfare facilities provided at their various work places. The study finally concludes that if workers are provided with decent welfare facilities at various building construction sites, it will motivate them to improve performance. The study recommends that metropolitan, municipal and district authority (MMDAs) should set a task force to check the implementation of welfare facilities at construction site as the results are pointing woeful insufficiency of welfare facilities at Eastern Region construction firms in Ghana.

Improving construction performance through supply chain management

A typical model of construction supply chain (CSC) is presented firstly. Then the characteristics and problems of CSC are identified. The authors also describe the progress towards adoption of supply chain management (SCM) in the construction industry. Traditional construction management approaches (CMAs) are compared with new SCM-based CMAs. The authors suggest that integrated SCM based on cooperating competition is crucial to improve construction performance. Based on relevant results from related research, a framework for integrated construction supply chain management (CSCM) is developed to guide the effective implementation of SCM in construction.

Design of Human Resource Performance Evaluation System for Construction Enterprises

Based on job analysis for the permanent departments of construction enterprises, by combining KPI assessment method and 360-degree evaluation method, this article establishes a set of human resource performance evaluation indicator system; by determining indicators＇ weights and evaluators＇ grading weights through analytic hierarchy process （AHP）, offering a kind of dynamic computing method for performance evaluation, and tightly linking the evaluation result to employees＇ personal interests, this article builds up a set of scientific performance evaluation system. This article takes the engineering department of construction enterprises for example to explain the calculation and application of performance evaluation result. This article provides construction enterprises with a method reference for human resource performance evaluation.

Construction Method for Performance Management Curriculum Content System Based on Knowledge Graph

Performance Management is the core course of human resource management major,but its knowledge points lack multi-dimensional correlations.There are problems such as scattered content and unclear system,and it is urgent to reconstruct the content system of the course.Knowledge graph technology can integrate massive and scattered information into an organic structure through semantic correlation and reasoning.The application of knowledge graph to education and teaching can promote scientific and personalized teaching evaluation and better realize individualized teaching.This paper systematically combs the knowledge points of Performance Management course and forms a comprehensive knowledge graph.The knowledge point is associated with specific questions to form the problem map of the course,and then the knowledge point is further associated with the ability target to form the ability map of the course.Then,the knowledge point is associated with teaching materials,question bank and expansion resources to form a systematic teaching database,thereby giving the method of building the content system of Performance Management course based on the knowledge map.This research can be further extended to other core management courses to realize the deep integration of knowledge graph and teaching.

Tree-Based Solution Frameworks for Predicting Tunnel Boring Machine Performance Using Rock Mass and Material Properties

Tunnel Boring Machines(TBMs)are vital for tunnel and underground construction due to their high safety and efficiency.Accurately predicting TBM operational parameters based on the surrounding environment is crucial for planning schedules and managing costs.This study investigates the effectiveness of tree-based machine learning models,including Random Forest,Extremely Randomized Trees,Adaptive Boosting Machine,Gradient Boosting Machine,Extreme Gradient Boosting Machine(XGBoost),Light Gradient Boosting Machine,and CatBoost,in predicting the Penetration Rate(PR)of TBMs by considering rock mass and material characteristics.These techniques are able to provide a good relationship between input(s)and output parameters;hence,obtaining a high level of accuracy.To do that,a comprehensive database comprising various rock mass and material parameters,including Rock Mass Rating,Brazilian Tensile Strength,and Weathering Zone,was utilized for model development.The practical application of these models was assessed with a new dataset representing diverse rock mass and material properties.To evaluate model performance,ranking systems and Taylor diagrams were employed.CatBoost emerged as the most accurate model during training and testing,with R2 scores of 0.927 and 0.861,respectively.However,during validation,XGBoost demonstrated superior performance with an R2 of 0.713.Despite these variations,all tree-based models showed promising accuracy in predicting TBM performance,providing valuable insights for similar projects in the future.

Performance Evaluation Method of Discipline Construction Members in Colleges and Universities from the Perspective of Value Management

The theory of enterprise value management was applied to the performance evaluation of the discipline construction members in colleges and universities,and a value evaluation model of performance was established.Then,using the analytic hierarchy process(AHP)and quantitative research method,it evaluated the cost of the discipline construction members and the functions realized.Finally,it determined the performance value level and came up with the value optimization recommendations.

Evaluation of Driver-Induced Human Errors in Smart Construction Tower Crane Operations Based on DEMATEL-ISM-MICMAC

With the advent of Industry 4.0, smart construction sites have seen significant development in China. However, accidents involving digitized tower cranes continue to be a persistent issue. Among the contributing factors, human unsafe behavior stands out as a primary cause for these incidents. This study aims to assess the human reliability of tower crane operations on smart construction sites. To proactively enhance safety measures, the research employs text mining techniques (TF-IDF-Truncated SVD-Complement NB) to identify patterns of human errors among tower crane operators. Building upon the SHEL model, the study categorizes behavioral factors affecting human reliability in the man-machine interface, leading to the establishment of the Performance Shaping Factors (PSFs) system. Furthermore, the research constructs an error impact indicator system for the intelligent construction site tower crane operator interface. Using the DEMATEL method, it analyzes the significance of various factors influencing human errors in tower crane operations. Additionally, the ISM-MICMAC method is applied to unveil the hierarchical relationships and driving-dependent connections among these influencing factors. The findings indicate that personal state, operating procedures, and physical environment directly impact human errors, while personal capability, technological environment, and one fundamental organizational management factor contribute indirectly. .

Preparation and Application of C60 High Performance Concrete

C60 High Performance Concrete (HPC) was prepared by limiting cement content and adopting compositesuperplasticizer, low-alkalinity expansive agent and high-quality line mixture. The results showed that the performance of the prepared C60 HPC was excellent. By adopting some advanced construction techniques such as usingsecondary vibration and secondary face compaction, controlling temperature difference and paying special attentionto early curing in the construction process, the prepared C60 HPC had been successfully applied in the monolithicstructure of huge building.

Optimal blockchain network construction methodology based on analysis of configurable components for enhancing Hyperledger Fabric performance

Presently,blockchain technology has been widely applied in various application domains such as the Internet of Things(IoT),supply chain management,healthcare,etc.So far,there has been much confusion about whether blockchain performs with scale,and admittedly,a lack of information about best practices that can improve the performance and scale.This paper proposes a novel blockchain network construction methodology to improve the performance of Hyperledger Fabric.As a highly scalable permissioned blockchain platform,Hyperledger Fabric supports a wide range of enterprise use cases from finance to governance.A comprehensive evaluation is performed by observing various configurable network components that can affect the blockchain performance.To demonstrate the significance of the proposed methodology,we set up the experiment environment for the baseline and the test network using optimized parameters,respectively.The experimental results indicate that the test network's performance is enhanced effectively compared to the baseline in transaction throughput and transaction latency.

Research on the Construction of a Data Warehouse Model for College Student Performance

Students’grades not only serve as an effective indicator of their learning achievements but also to some extent reflect the completion of teaching tasks by the instructors.Currently,many universities across the country have collected and recorded various information about students and teachers in the school’s information management system,but it is only a simple storage record and has not effectively excavated hidden information,and data have not been fully utilized.Student performance information,enrolment information,course information,teaching plans,and teacher-related information are currently stored in separate databases,which are independent of each other,making it difficult to perform effective data analysis.Data warehousing technology can integrate various information and use data analysis software to excavate more high-value information,which is convenient for teaching evaluation and optimizing teaching strategies.Based on data warehousing technology,the article uses the hierarchical concept of data warehousing to construct the ODS layer,DWD layer,DWS layer and ETL layer.Facing the data warehousing topic,the article designs the data warehousing conceptual model,logical model,and physical model based on student performance,providing a model basis for later data mining.

Cyclic Shear Tests on Key Connection Joints of Modularized Constructions

Modularized construction is a new type of prefabricated building system with green environmental protection and excellent performance. There are few studies on the seismic performance of its key connection joint. This paper presents a new type of assembled connection joint for the high-rise modularized construction. Cyclic shear tests of full-scale joints were carried out, and the key indexes of their seismic performances including the hysteretic performance, ductility, and energy dissipation capacity were analyzed and obtained. The results show that the hysteresis loops of longitudinal and lateral cyclic shear tests were both plump in shapes. The ductility coefficients were 4.54 and 4.98, and the energy dissipation coefficients were 1.83 and 1.43, respectively. The test joint had good ductility and energy dissipation capacity. The positions of yield failure of specimens were mainly concentrated in the connection areas between the column and short beam or end-plate. The research can provide the technical reference for the seismic design and engineering application of related modularized constructions.

The Impact of State Policies on Investment Project Management in Polish Industrial Construction Sector

In this paper,we discuss the influence of economic,environmental and legal policies of the state on the management of investment projects in the area of industrial construction in Poland.Our empirical study relies on conducting a questionnaire survey.A total of 158 Polish companies dealing with industrial construction took part in the survey.Then,the collected questionnaires were subjected to a thorough analysis and interpretation,with the use of a method called the exploratory factor analysis(EFA).Our research reveals the key factors influencing successful investment project management in the Polish industrial construction sector.These factors have been identified as the“availability of technology in a stable political system”,“stability of the economic and tax systems”,“stable social system policy,stability and transparency of the legal system”and a“well-targeted environmental policy”.A key conclusion that can be drawn from our study is that an efficient management of investment projects in the industrial construction industry is significantly influenced by properly shaped and stable economic,environmental,and legal policies of the state.

ARCHITECTURE AND HIGH PERFORMANCE BUILDING AT GEORGIA TECH:TEACHING DESIGN+TECHNOL OGY IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONTEXT

Integrative approaches to architectural design+environmental technology pedagogy are essential in educating future generations to respond to impending building energy use challenges.This paper will describe new approaches to incorporating building physics and building technology in the design studio via a diverse cohort of students and faculty,with strong emphasis placed on the development of innovative architectural strategies operating at the intersection of urban demographics,house and housing design,building performance,and sustainability.The United States Department of Energy reports that our buildings account for forty percent of all energy consumed nationally.Our focus on high performance buildings at the Georgia Tech College of Architecture aims to reduce that percentage and meet the rising demand for design and building performance professionals to evaluate the environmental impact of design decisions.Continuing a twenty-five-year trajectory of research leadership,Tech students and faculty are leading the way in digital design,building simulation,engineering,and construction integration.Over the past four years,students from various schools across campus have been working together in a seminar and design studio setting to expand 21st century housing options.Changing urban demographics,sustainability targets,and alternative energy requirements are investigated through smartly researched and elegantly designed housing and public space propositions.The move from an ecologically aware architecture towards an architecture immersed in the emerging debates about carbon footprint and energy consumption is in part driven by increasing international concern over resource availability and delivery.Through reduced costs of alternative energy capture,higher efficiencies,rapid evolution of upstream technologies and applications and more robust software platforms along with growing social,political and economic debate,the definition of sustainability is evolving - moving to transform integral parts of archi-tectural practice and education from a primarily aesthetic and assembly oriented tra-jectory to a more comprehensive understanding of the relationship between design thinking and building performance.

BAMBOO CANOPY:TOWARDS A LIGHT CONSTRUCTION OF BAMBOO

Despite the abundance of highly sustainable bamboo,people tend to overlook its structural performance for construction purposes.This paper therefore explores the potential of bamboo architecture to develop light-weight building systems and also to create an effect of lightness.Developed by a team at the School of Architecture of Southeast University,Bamboo Canopy is an outdoor stage canopy in Anji,China,that pushes the boundaries of bamboo as a material for building woven gridshell structure.The work is designed as a long-lifespan bamboo structure,with the design team and locals participating in its construction.Positioned on a public stage,Bamboo Canopy experiments with the combination of sustainable construction and local craftsmanship to produce a highly engaging architectural intervention that activates the existing place.With its wing-like form,it invites visitors to join the performance scene-as they approach the shell,the structure reveals itself-with a 12.4-metre span and 6-metre roof overhang,the canopy covers more than 150 square metres with only 1.2 square metres touching the ground.Through analysing the form,structure and details of this experimental project,this paper clarifies not only the potentiality but also the feasibilities in using bamboo for light construction.

Impacts of building information modeling(BIM) implementation on design and construction performance: a resource dependence theory perspective

Drawing on resource dependence theory, this paper develops and empirically tests a model for understanding how the implementation of building information modeling(BIM) in construction projects impacts the performance of different project participating organizations through improving their interorganizational collaboration capabilities. Based on two sets of survey data collected from designers and general contractors in BIMbased construction projects in China, the results from partial least squares analysis and bootstrapping mediation test provide clear evidence that BIM-enabled capabilities of information sharing and collaborative decision-making as a whole play a significant role in determining BIMenabled efficiency and effectiveness benefits for both designers and general contractors. The results further reveal that designers and general contractors benefit from project BIM implementation activities significantly nonequivalently, and that this non-equivalence closely relates to the different roles played by designers and general contractors in BIM-enabled interorganizational resource exchange processes. The findings validate the resource dependence theory perspective of BIM as a boundary spanning tool to manage interorganizational resource dependence in construction projects, and contribute todeepened understandings of how and why project participating organizations benefit differently from the implementation of interorganizational information technologies like BIM.

Evaluation and prediction of earth pressure balance shield performance in complex rock strata:A case study in Dalian,China

This research explores the potential for the evaluation and prediction of earth pressure balance shield performance based on a gray system model.The research focuses on a shield tunnel excavated for Metro Line 2 in Dalian,China.Due to the large error between the initial geological exploration data and real strata,the project construction is extremely difficult.In view of the current situation regarding the project,a quantitative method for evaluating the tunneling efficiency was proposed using cutterhead rotation(R),advance speed(S),total thrust(F)and torque(T).A total of 80 datasets with three input parameters and one output variable(F or T)were collected from this project,and a prediction framework based gray system model was established.Based on the prediction model,five prediction schemes were set up.Through error analysis,the optimal prediction scheme was obtained from the five schemes.The parametric investigation performed indicates that the relationships between F and the three input variables in the gray system model harmonize with the theoretical explanation.The case shows that the shield tunneling performance and efficiency are improved by the tunneling parameter prediction model based on the gray system model.