Construction Phase Of Project Research Articles

Construction scheduling using 3‐D CAD and walk‐thru

Three‐dimensional (3‐D) CAD and walk‐thru are promising technologies in design and construction. While gaining widespread acceptance in design, the use of 3‐D and walk‐thru during the construction phases of projects is evolving slowly. One significant barrier to acceptance includes lack of documented cost/benefit analysis. Experimental results reported herein provide quantitative evidence of the advantages of 3‐D CAD and walk‐thru for planning construction projects. The results provide strong evidence of the practical benefits and appropriate areas of application for 3‐D CAD and walk‐thru technology.

Telepresence in concurrent lifecycle design and construction

Construction projects usually involve transient ‘virtual organisations’ made up of members of a project team (involving several disparate disciplines) working together on the design and construction of a facility. Team members are often non-co-located, particularly at the early stages of the design process, and tend to work independently while taking decisions that affect others. The adoption of concurrent engineering principles by the construction industry is increasingly being seen as vital for reducing the problems posed by the industry's fragmentation, and enhancing its competitiveness. An important aspect of concurrent engineering in construction is the need for an effective communications infrastructure able to transmit project information between members of the project team and across all stages in the constructed facility's lifecycle. This paper describes the development of such a communications infrastructure that is based on the concept of Telepresence. The intention is to create a persistent space to support interaction between project personnel throughout the design and construction phases of projects. The paper first highlights the key communications issues that need to be addressed, introduces ‘Telepresence’ and describes an initial prototype system. The approach being adopted in the development of an advanced Telepresence environment for construction project teams is also presented. The Telepresence environment is intended to help people who cannot be together to work together.

Making Effective Use of Construction Lessons Learned in Project Life Cycle

Expert knowledge and lessons learned in the construction phase of a project are not systematically incorporated into the design and construction phases of subsequent projects. The advancement of construction since ancient times has been predicated on the communication of lessons learned. Although past efforts have focused on the design phase, opportunities for the collection and utilization of lessons learned exist in all phases of a project life cycle. Constructability, the early integration of construction knowledge into all phases of a project, can be improved by effective use of lessons learned. This paper identifies feedback channels in a project life cycle and describes previous and current efforts to develop lessons-learned systems. Next, the paper describes the design and implementation of a constructability feedback prototype called interactive knowledge-intensive system (IKIS) for constructability improvement (IKIS-Constructability). Finally, the paper highlights the operation of this system and its potential benefits.

An economic assessment of an irrigation project affecting a Greek wetland

The marshes and wet meadows surrounding Lake Mikri Prespa, Greece, are internationally significant wetlands scheduled in the Ramsar Convention. This environment was adversely affected in the 1960s by an irrigation project and the associated drainage and roads intended to increase agricultural production and income. The anticipated project construction phase was scheduled to take two years, but took two decades. The public cost of the project was 4.4 times the initial estimate, while the irrigated area is only 41.3 percent of that planned. The adverse environmental impacts included a reduction in wetland area and the negative effects of intensive farming. An ex-post cost-benefit analysis shows that the social value of the project is negative, so that the economic losses would have been avoided by conserving the area in its natural state, quite apart from its intrinsic environmental value. However, the benefits to farmers, although less than that expected, were substantial, thus explaining the local support for the further expansion of irrigation.

The role of the engineering geologist in construction

AbstractA current trend is the requirement for complex civil engineering projects to be carried out to very short time-scales. These projects often involve difficult and protracted planning consultations. This leads to increased pressure on all the professionals involved to work at a very fast, though erratic, pace that is dictated by others. This is particularly the case with the collection and utilization of information about the ground that is required for the design and construction phases of projects. Large changes in scope and detail often occur due to a wide range of environmental, technical, financial and other external factors.The engineering geologist plays a crucial part in the management of projects that are to be completed successfully to time and within budget. This paper discusses key areas in which engineering geologists can significantly affect the outcome of a project and also factors that may influence the professional development of engineering geologists in future years.

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AbstractA current trend is the requirement for complex civil engineering projects to be carried out to very short time-scales. These projects often involve difficult and protracted planning consultations. This leads to increased pressure on all the professionals involved to work at a very fast, though erratic, pace that is dictated by others. This is particularly the case with the collection and utilization of information about the ground that is required for the design and construction phases of projects. Large changes in scope and detail often occur due to a wide range of environmental, technical, financial and other external factors.engineering geologist plays a crucial part in the management of projects that are to be completed successfully to time and within budget. This paper discusses key areas in which engineering geologists can significantly affect the outcome of a project and also factors that may influence the professional development of engineering geologists in future years.

Environmental Management During Construction

To satisfactorily implement mitigating measures environmental scientists must have a greater role in the design and construction phases of projects. More specifically, achievement of proper controls must involve the inclusion of environmental specifications in contracts and the employment of environmental inspectors (E.I.) during construction. Environmental specifications indentify: critical natural areas; suitable materials; prohibited practices; and control measures to be utilized. The environmental inspector is a specialist whose academic background or experience result in considerable understanding of environmental impacts and applicable control measures. The E.I. is an advisor to the resident engineer on all matters of environmental management and affects the liaison with applicable regulatory agencies.