Framework of Construction Procedure Manuals for PMIS Implementation

Primarily project procedure manuals are intended to enforce company polices or procedures. These manuals are important pieces for successful project management in the construction industry,because construction projects are operated virtually. Even though subcontractors are responsible for field works,a general contractor is still responsible for providing quality project management services for project owners. The more subcontractors involved,the harder it is to monitor and control them, due to the different management processes and procedures they use. More than 36 procedure manuals in the building and industrial construction were reviewed to create process maps of various management services. According to surveys, larger contractors have a broader use of procedure manuals than smaller contractors. The full-scale manuals cover project administration, schedule, cost, contract administration, quality, or safety to home office operations. The small-scale manuals cover from site mobilization, to startup and closeout. Small-scale operation manuals are often used by medium to small contractors. This paper presents suggestions for integrated procedure manuals for construction management firms based on studies of multiple construction procedure manuals. A framework for integrating procedure manuals is presented. The proposed framework can be used to keep uniformity across management procedures and phases. In addition, it can be used to implement a project management system. It can be used to forecast or evaluate management activities through replicability of the management responses.

Simulation of the response of base-isolated buildings under earthquake excitations considering soil flexibility

The accurate analysis of the seismic response of isolated structures requires incorporation of the flexibility of supporting soil. However, it is often customary to idealize the soil as rigid during the analysis of such structures. In this paper, seismic response time history analyses of base-isolated buildings modelled as linear single degree-of-freedom （SDOF） and multi degree-of-freedom （MDOF） systems with linear and nonlinear base models considering and ignoring the flexibility of supporting soil are conducted. The flexibility of supporting soil is modelled through a lumped parameter model consisting of swaying and rocking spring-dashpots. In the analysis, a large number of parametric studies for different earthquake excitations with three different peak ground acceleration （PGA） levels, different natural periods of the building models, and different shear wave velocities in the soil are considered. For the isolation system, laminated rubber bearings （LRBs） as well as high damping rubber bearings （HDRBs） are used. Responses of the isolated buildings with and without SSI are compared under different ground motions leading to the following conclusions： （1） soil flexibility may considerably influence the stiff superstructure response and may only slightly influence the response of the flexible structures; （2） the use of HDRBs for the isolation system induces higher structural peak responses with SSI compared to the system with LRBs; （3） although the peak response is affected by the incorporation of soil flexibility, it appears insensitive to the variation of shear wave velocity in the soil; （4） the response amplifications of the SDOF system become closer to unit with the increase in the natural period of the building, indicating an inverse relationship between SSI effects and natural periods for all the considered ground motions, base isolations and shear wave velocities; （5） the incorporation of SSI increases the number of significant cycles of large amplitude accelerations for all the stories, especially for earthquakes with low and moderate PGA levels; and （6） buildings with a linear LRB base-isolation system exhibit larger differences in displacement and acceleration amplifications, especially at the level of the lower stories.

GREEN CONSTRUCTION:CONTRACTOR MOTIVATION AND TRENDS IN AUSTIN,TEXAS

The purpose of this paper is to describe and assess one of the first comprehensive residential green-builder programs in the U.S.It compares trends of items used in residential construction during the past five years and reports why participating builders chose to incorporate specific items and their level of commitment to the program.This description provides a baseline of strategies to investigate the effect of this program in developing sustainable communities.The builder study population was derived from a database of registered“green”residences built during 1998-2002 in greater Austin,Texas(2,335 homes and 73 listed builders).Almost half the builders constructed just one“green”home,whereas two builders built almost 75%of the green homes during the 5-year study period.Less than 1%of the homes received a perfect 5-star rating,whereas 87%were rated 1 or 2 stars.The frequency of implementing the 122 green features were compared over time and analyzed for correlation with cost and their associated star-value.Cost was the primary factor determining item use frequency.Participating builders generally concurred that the program was successful and beneficial to homeowners but that the additional work required for participation provided little financial reward for builders.While much can be done with low-cost interventions to reduce the negative environmental impacts of residential construction,builder participation may be enhanced by promotion of some of the higher cost features.In addition,public education about the long-term benefits of green homes is needed to increase homeowner participation,and encourage builders to incorporate more environmentally friendly features in the homes they construct.

Understanding the Occurrence of Two Total Floats in One Activity and Schedule Crashing Approaches for That Situation

Critical Path Method (CPM) Scheduling has proven to be an effective project management tool. However, teaching the topic has proven difficult to include all elements of CPM yet keep it simple enough for students to understand. In an effort to simplify the teaching of critical path method scheduling, the issue of two total floats in an activity does not get the attention necessary to address its occurrence. The objective of this paper is to present a mathematical method to show multiple total floats are possible for an activity. Also presented are suggestions for schedule crashing when multiple total floats are found. Two totals floats can be found if constraints (Lag or Lead) or non-Finish-to-Start (FS) relationships, or both are used in a network diagram. Situations are possible where an activity may have a start total float (STF) of zero but have a finish total float (FTF) greater than zero, or vice versa. Because the critical path generally follows the zero total float, these situations, where either the STF or the FTF is critical while the other is not, determines how the critical path activity must be controlled and crashed. This paper will present approaches of how to crash the schedule when a portion of the activity, either start or finish, is critical. Also presented will be methods to teach the subject matter with or without the use of scheduling software. Critical Path Method was revisited to see what the minimal conditions are needed to have activities with two total float. Generalized crashing methods were studied to see if the methods can be used when two total floats exist.

Isogeometric Analysis of Soil Plasticity

In this paper we present numerical simulations of soil plasticity using isogeometric analysis comparing the results to the solutions from conventional finite element method. Isogeometric analysis is a numerical method that uses nonuniform rational B-splines (NURBS) as basis functions instead of the Lagrangian polynomials often used in the finite element method. These functions have a higher-order of continuity, making it possible to represent complex geometries exactly. After a brief outline of the theory behind the isogeometric concept, we give a presentation of the constitutive equations, used to simulate the soil behavior in this work. The paper concludes with numerical examples in two- and three-dimensions, which assess the accuracy of isogeometric analysis for simulations of soil behavior. The numerical examples presented show, that for drained soils, the results from isogeometric analysis are overall in good agreement with the conventional finite element method in two- and three-dimensions. Thus isogeometric analysis is a good alternative to conventional finite element analysis for simulations of soil behavior.

FEASIBILITY OF AN OFF-GRID RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCE FOR THE MERCANTILE SECTOR

Increased CO_(2),a Greenhouse Gas(GhG),emission and its accumulation in the atmosphere is a major climatic concern,creating an urgent need to control its rate of growth with the goal to reduce or reverse the growth.Reduction is being attempted at macro scales(large GhG producers but relatively small in number),at mezzo levels(mercantile stores which are large in numbers and relatively large consumers in scale)and at micro scales(individual dwelling units which are very large in number but relatively small on a GhG producer scale).This research identifies the strategies and challenges of adopting an off-grid renewable energy source for the mercantile sector(retail)at the mezzo level.A theoretical model for an off-grid renewable energy source considering a parking lot of a retail outlet was developed.In future work,a proposed physical model should be able to test the assumptions and hypothesis of the theoretical model presented.The proposed hybrid system uses two or more alternative renewable energy sources.In the proposed system,solar energy is integrated with a local bio gas plant,which treats waste to produce electricity.The excess energy can be sold to grid using net metering or dual metering or sold to charge plug-in vehicles to earn revenue.The renewable energy produced reduces the grid load on public utilities,thereby reducing the amount of CO_(2)emissions from the grid providers,thus bridging the current grid dependent system and a grid-independent(off grid,or net zero)goal.

Investigation the Correlation between Thermal Bridging and Geometries in Concrete Buildings

This article focuses on the investigation of the correlation between thermal bridging and various geometric configurations. The article employs QuickField software for conducting three-dimensional steady-state heat transfer simulations to investigate the thermal behaviors of diverse geometric shapes. Significantly, this study involves the simulation of four distinct geometries including concrete circular, square, rectangular, and triangular column through an insulated concrete layer while all geometries maintain the consistent surface areas. The simulations yield findings indicating that circular thermal bridging has the best thermal performance, while rectangular thermal bridging displays comparatively the lowest thermal efficiency. Furthermore, the results indicate that alterations in the perimeter of thermal bridge interfaces, while maintaining a constant area, exert a more pronounced influence on the thermal performance of the geometries compared to proportional changes in area while preserving the perimeter. The study’s findings aid building designers and architects in creating more energy-efficient structural and architectural elements by incorporating thermally efficient geometries and forms. .

Semiotic Proposition for Understanding Semantics Within Construction Documents

This research develops a methodology that helps actors in understanding information generated from multiple construction participants. It employs semiotic theory which approaches the interpreter’s understanding of the role of the representations used in construction documents to communicate meanings to other participants. This strategy is designed to aid the interpreters’ comprehension of the use of symbols. The symbols within the construction documents are forms of representations that take the form of a visual representation of a set of markers that describe a formal language, and of markers that are used to represent natural language as well as other possible representations, such as a collection of codes for indexing documents. Symbols are replaced by signs under the semiotics theory. The use of symbols as signs is this study’s recognition of the relationship between the interpreter and the material quality of symbols. The semiotic analysis is an examination of the compromise between the meanings of a representation per se and the concept associated with the understanding of such representation.