Dissertations / Theses on the topic '120201 Building Construction Management and Project Planning'

The complexity of future societies will be reflected not only in the buildings that are created but also in the processes that evolve such buildings. Within the construction industry, and specifically in relation to large, complex multi-user buildings, operational planning and design processes will assume greater importance than ever before. Given that increasing complexity is likely to lead to increasing specialism and differentiation amongst the main contributing parties in a construction procurement project, it is also likely that there will be more disruption of the communication and organisation processes central to project procurement. These effects will be transmitted through the procurement process and manifest themselves in various ways in the final product. The most important of these will be the damaging effect which they will have on building function, where function determines the buildings' ability to serve as a facilitator of intended user group activities. Research has been undertaken to rationalise building design, operational planning and building function in the construction procurement process. Maintaining unity between the different parties responsible for building design and operational planning decisions is hypothesised as the key factor in evolving successful project procurement outcomes in terms of building function. Research into hospital food service building procurement processes has demonstrated that when building design and operational planning processes are not developed in concordance with one another, then deficiencies in the functioning of the food service system resulted. Seventeen design/operation mis-match outcome deficiencies were identified across three hospital construction projects. On further analysis of these project outcome deficiencies, it was apparent that the majority were due to problems that had arisen because design team members and user specialists had been unable to relate different aspects of system functioning adequately. In particular, there appeared to be an inability to incorporate effectively the catering technological and associated service aspects into the design solution, i.e. the elements that were not purely architectural. Some of these functional relationship problems were relatively simple and did not require significant design or user expertise. The most problematic deficiencies emerged when different components of the food service system (central production unit, distribution system and ward service) were not effectively integrated. Proposals are made for a planning framework which will maintain greater congruence between building design, operational planning and building function during the procurement process by allowing project contributors to assess the impact of different building design and operational planning decisions on the human/building interface. The planning framework focuses decision making around a set of critical relationships identified between the components of the building solution, so that any potential divergence caused by environmental pressures can be offset by corrective action using the critical relationships as the parameters upon which successful function must be based. This approach is a pre-requisite for the future construction procurement process in order to improve building function, particularly for complex, multi-user buildings.

Construction productivity lags behind most industries. In general, the process of construction is carried out in several smaller processes. For the overall construction process to be successful, continuity between these smaller processes must be achieved. This has been the persistent goal of construction productivity improvement for decades now. Waste is generated between the continuing activities by the unpredicted release of work and the arrival of resources. However, in recent decades the construction industry has a great need to improve its productivity, quality and incorporate new technologies to the industry due to increased foreign competition. In the late 1980s, researchers started looking at solving this problem in a more general and structured way based on the philosophy and ideology of lean production. In lean, adopting waste identification/reduction, or meeting the client's needs with minimal resources addresses the performance improvement. With recent developments in the construction industry, introduction of building information modeling (BIM) has had a significant influence on leaner construction. They are both complementary in several important ways. Various studies conducted exhibit that BIM is very crucial in reducing the project cost, site conflicts, project duration, error reduction, better and faster design development, and so on. This brings the question; can BIM be used as a tool for leaner construction? The objective of this thesis is to determine how BIM is helping achieve a leaner construction. More and more companies are adopting BIM as an acceptable waste reduction tool. A comprehensive study of lean theory and BIM was conducted, underscoring ways for BIM to help achieve leaner construction. The research was broadly conducted in three different parts. In the first part, a synthesis is drawn from a literature study to show that BIM helps reduce waste, helps in implementing lean techniques, and achieves lean principles. The second part focuses on the data acquired from a construction company to show that BIM helps reduce project cost, duration and conflicts. The third and the last part focused on getting the perspective view of different professionals in the construction industry on BIM by conducting focus interviews. A comprehensive conclusion was derived based on the findings from the three methods adopted.

Examensarbetet behandlar trä som byggnadsmaterial. I arbetet ingår en rapport med förklarande illustrationer samt framtagning av programhandlingar för ett bostadsprojekt. Byggbranschen står idag för en hög miljöbelastning där den största bidragande faktorn är materialproduktionen. Trots att trä är det enda koldioxidneutrala konstruktionsmaterialet byggs få flerbostadshus med trä som bärande stomme. Det råder brist på kunskap och erfarenhet inom träbyggnadsteknik av anledningen att en tidigare lagstiftning förbjöd byggnader över två våningar med trästomme. Studien har fördjupat sig i möjligheterna när det gäller lång spännvidd, konstruktionshöjd och arkitektonisk karaktär men även kraven för ljud och brand har styrt utformningen. Till en början förväntades trä ge upphov till en del begränsningar, främst gällande brand och akustik, men dessa kan till stor del lösas genom kompletteringar och noggrann projektering. Trä har många positiva egenskaper som hög hållfasthet, bra bärförmåga vid brand, bra värmeisoleringsförmåga samt att det ger ett bra inomhusklimat, vilket kan nyttjas i en byggnad. Fastigheten som valdes för projektet ligger i Rosenlundsparken på Södermalm i Stockholm. På platsen var det gynnsamt att bygga i trä på grund av bland annat dåliga markförhållanden. Studien har resulterat i en byggnad på 9 våningar, där den bärande stommen är helt utförd i trä. Stommen är uppbyggd av pelarbalksystem i entréplan och KL-trä på de resterande våningarna. Ett ribb-bjälklag har använts, som är en kombination av KL-trä och limträ. Resultatet visade att om tjocka bjälklag implementeras kan flerbostadshus med långa spännvidder uppföras, med en högre byggnadshöjd som följd. Långa spännvidder ger en frihet när det gäller att utforma planlösningar. Trä är ett flexibelt material vilket ger möjlighet till frihet i form. Träets naturliga karaktär ger en positiv effekt på människor och är estetiskt tilltalande. Byggnaden har böjda former vilket bidrar med kontrast till det befintliga stadsrummet. Fasaden är utförd i trä och även interiört är det synligt trä i stor utsträckning.
The thesis is about wood as a building material. The work contains a report with explanatory illustrations and a project planning document for a residential. The building sector has a big impact on the climate, where the biggest contribution is the manufacturing of materials. Wood is the only material that is carbon oxide neutral, but still a small amount of the high apartment buildings is constructed with a wooden frame. The reason behind this is that a former law prevented wooden buildings higher than two floors and therefore there is a lack of knowledge and experience regarding wooden building technique. Wood has many positive qualities, which can be of advantage in a building. Such as a good load bearing capacity during a fire, good strength, good thermal conductivity, and it provides a healthy internal climate. There are also limitations with wooden constructions regarding fire and sound, but this can often be solved with supplements and thorough planning. This study examined the possibilities regarding span, height, and architecture. Additionally, sound- and fire conditions had an impact on the design. The project resulted in a long free span in consequent of a thick slab and therefore the building height increases. The property that was chosen for the project is located to Rosenlundsparken at Södermalm in Stockholm. The condition of the ground was not optimal to build on, because it consists of clay. But an advantage with a wooden construction it that it is light, which reduces the land work. This study resulted in a 9-floor high building where the frame is completely in wood. The frame is constructed with a column and beam system in the entrance floor and CLT walls on the other floors. A ribbed slab was chosen, which is a combination of CLT and glulam. The result showed that if thick slabs are implemented, residential buildings with long free span can be built and with a higher building height as a consequence. A long free span gives freedom when making floor plans. Furthermore, the wood offers flexibility, which makes different shapes possible. The building has round shapes which makes a contrast to the existing cityscape. Moreover, the woods natural character has a positive effect on humans and is aesthetically appealing. Wood is used as a cladding to the extent possible both interior and exterior.

The thesis includes business intention of construction company in the form of a feasibility study. Planned company deals with the realization of timber-framed buildings that are built by hand directly on the construction site. The introductory part describes basic knowledge of the investment projects planning. One subchapter shortly describes the timber construction system. Parts of the business intention are oriented on corporate strategy, marketing, production technology, manpower, economic a financial analysis and risk management. In conclusion is an overall assessment of the project feasibility.

Building Information Modeling, or BIM, is a process that is quickly changing the way Architectural, Engineering, and Construction companies manage construction projects. Being a company specific process, only parts of the process have been accepted as a standardized method across every company. Those components that are not standardized have become proprietary to each specific company. The goal of the research is to provide a rich and complete description of the use of BIM across multiple Architectural, Engineering and Construction (AEC) companies in order to inform and integrate BIM into construction graphics and management curricula in higher education. The literature review generated a thorough understanding of BIM standards currently identified. The methodology, a comparison of BIM theory to industrial practices, provided a broader picture of all aspects of BIM being utilized in current AEC companies. The results identified a comparison of all aspects of BIM to current AEC practices and paints a well-defined picture of what is being accomplished with BIM within company construction processes across AEC companies that are classified into several categories. BIM practices within each company indicate similarities and differences that give a rich BIM description across the entire AEC industry. The results suggest a high usage of BIM across more areas than just construction of the building branching out to all areas within a set of construction documents for project management.

The purpose of this study is to determine if Virtual Reality safety training is more effective at teaching fall protection safety than traditional methods of instruction. A literature review of previous research was conducted and a theoretical framework and methodology was developed to test the two groups for this study. The research design is a difference-in-differences method comparing the pre-test and post-test scores of the participants of each group. There will be other small pieces of analysis that will be done to further understand the results of the data collection. The data will be analyzed and interpreted to better understand how the research question was answered in comparison to previous work and the theoretical framework. Finally, other questions that arose during the process will be addressed and future areas for more research will be defined.

The construction industry contributes significantly to the GDP of the United States, attributing to its growth at an unprecedented rate. Efficient planning on all stages of construction is the only way to combat dynamic obstructions and deliver projects on time. The first element involved in the planning phase deals with the layout of the Construction Site. It significantly regulates the pace at which construction operations function and directly affects the time, cost, and safety linked to the successful delivery of the target project. Hence, it is paramount to ensure that every component of the construction site maneuvers with the utmost productivity. One such equipment that occupies significant attention while carrying out the CSLP process is Tower Crane. Tower crane optimization is pivotal to ensure proper lifting and handling of materials, and warrant conflict-free work zones. This research, therefore, aims to optimize its position by maximizing the lift ability. To achieve the goals, Generative Design- a paradigm that integrates the constructive features of mathematical and visual optimization techniques, is used to develop a relatively comprehensible prototype. The first part of the research, thus, utilized Generative Design on two construction sites- one from the United States and one from India. After implementing the visual programming algorithm, an improvement of 40% was warranted in the lift score. A pool of potential alternatives was explored and supplemented by the trade-off illustrations. The concept of trade-off was substantiated by allowing a framework for prioritization of lift cycles, and facilitating a holistic decision-making process. To evaluate the usability, 12 participants were chosen based on their previous experience with tower crane operations. The participants witnessed a live demonstration of the algorithm, answered a Likert scale questionnaire, and appeared for an open-ended interview to provide feedback about the proposed Generative Design technique. After carrying out narrative analysis for the usability aspect- it has been unanimously observed that the technique has extreme efficiency of usage and can evidently prevent the occurrence of errors. The study concludes by providing recommendations to augment the significance and usability of Generative Design for tower crane position optimization.

We make decisions every day, some with the potential for a huge impact on our lives. This process of decision-making is crucial not only for individuals but for industries, including construction. Unlike the manufacturing industry, where one can make certain decisions regarding an actual product by looking at it in real time, the nature of construction is different. Here, decisions are to be made on a product which will be built somewhere in the near future. The complex and interim nature of construction projects, along with factors like time essence, increasing scale of projects and multitude of stakeholders, makes it even more difficult to reach consensus. Incorporating VR can aid in getting an insight on the final product at the very beginning of the project life cycle. With a visual representation, the stakeholders involved can collaborate on a single platform to assess the project, share common knowledge and make choices that would produce better results in all major aspects like cost, quality, time and safety. This study aims at assessing decision-making in the earlier stages of construction and then evaluating the performance of immersive and non-immersive VR platforms.

In the field of the construction industry, the research work has been widely focused on identifying key performance indicators and critical success factors without assessing the impact of conflict environment factors. This study focusses on the impact of post-conflict environment factors on local construction organization performance. This research presents a performance prediction model comprising the effect of post-conflict environment factors on construction organization performance. The proposed framework of this study has four stages: identify key performance indicators (KPIs), identify post-conflict environment impacting factors, determine critical success factors (CSFs), and formulate success strategy to improve performance. Analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and multiple linear regression (MLR) techniques are applied to analyze the data.

The study finding indicates that there is a significant relationship between the post-conflict condition impacting factors and local construction organization performance, which is insufficiently studied in previous research work. Thus, the developed framework will benefit academic scholars and industry practitioners to analyze and evaluate challenges and opportunities caused by different external environment conditions in the post-conflict construction industry.

Generally, the trade supervisors are seen swapping stories about how they have done things differently in their previous projects that had resulted in saving man-hours and resources. Since most of them are doing repetitive tasks for years, they rely mainly on their judgments and intuition while making decisions and have developed a plethora of knowledge throughout their experience. They often find it difficult to articulate the knowledge they have acquired most of which is tacit. There is a need to identify this tacit dimension of knowledge to harness it effectively as tacit knowledge is one of the factors determining the competitiveness of a construction firm. The skills shortage in the industry is further aggravated by the growing workforce. Employee retirements and knowledge loss are compelling the specialty contracting firms to capture this tacit knowledge to prepare the future workforce. This study posits an instrument to gauge the reliance of the field supervisors on tacit knowledge and identifies barriers to knowledge sharing through case studies involving electrical contracting firms. The findings of this research clearly show that the experience level of an individual is related to the reliance on tacit knowledge. Most of the experienced field supervisors rely on the tacit dimension of knowledge to perform the major day-to-day routine tasks at the construction site. The education level of an individual seems to have no significant relation with the acquisition and usage of tacit knowledge. Findings also suggest that the viewpoint of the management and the field team are disparate regarding the barriers to knowledge sharing. Management feels that lack of formal processes prevents the trade professionals from sharing their knowledge among themselves whereas according to the field team lack of socialization is identified as the key barrier. Similarly, managers' resistance to change is identified by management as the key barrier that prevents supervisors or managers from sharing their knowledge with the subordinates whereas, for the field team it is the lack of encouragement from the management. Moreover, according to management, lack of formal processes is the key barrier at the organizational level but for the field team, it’s the silo mentality of the managers. The organizations must incorporate the feedback from the field team into the decision making related to knowledge management (KM). The developed framework will benefit the trade contractors to identify on what type of knowledge the field supervisors are relying to perform a particular task and eventually categorizing knowledge into explicit and tacit.

As buildings have almost come to a saturation point in most developed countries, the management and maintenance of existing buildings have become the major problem of the field. Building Information Modeling (BIM) is the underlying technology to solve this problem. It is a 3D semantic representation of building construction and facilities that contributes to not only the design phase but also the construction and maintenance phases, such as life-cycle management and building energy performance measurement. This study aims at the processes of creating as-built BIM models, which are constructed after the design phase. Point cloud, a set of points in 3D space, is an intermediate product of as-built BIM models that is often acquired by 3D laser scanning and photogrammetry. A raw point cloud typically requires further procedures, e.g. registration, segmentation, classification, etc. In terms of segmentation and classification, machine learning methodologies are trending due to the enhanced speed of computation. However, supervised machine learning methodologies require labelling the training point clouds in advance, which is time-consuming and often leads to inevitable errors. And due to the complexity and uncertainty of real-world environments, the attributes of one point vary from the attributes of others. These situations make it difficult to analyze how one single attribute contributes to the result of segmentation and classification. This study developed a method of producing point clouds from a fast-generating 3D virtual indoor environment using procedural modeling. This research focused on two attributes of simulated point clouds, point density and the level of random errors. According to Silverman (1986), point density is associated with the point features around each output raster cell. The number of points within a neighborhood divided the area of the neighborhood is the point density. However, in this study, there was a little different. The point density was defined as the number of points on a surface divided by the surface area. And the unit is points per square meters (pts/m²). This research compared the performances of a machine learning segmentation and classification algorithm on ten different point cloud datasets. The mean loss and accuracy of segmentation and classification were analyzed and evaluated to show how the point density and level of random errors affect the performance of the segmentation and classification models. Moreover, the real-world point cloud data were used as additional data to evaluate the applicability of produced models.

Following a grounded theory research model, the research uncovered and presented the state of debris recycling to a national association of demolition contractors to measure their willingness and attitudes towards the growing trend in the circular economy and adapting their business models to incorporate it into their own contracts. The first part was finding the deficiencies in the current model based on government reports and through interviews with county-level emergency managers. Second, successful businesses that already use the circular economy design in their operations were used as exemplars to emulate and their opinions and suggestions were discussed. The outputs of the emergency managers and the successful businesses was folded into the third phase of the research with surveys to the membership of the National Demolition Association (NDA) with multiple-choice, scalar questions and open-ended, opinion-heavy questions throughout. The findings were reported back to the head of the partnering organization, the NDA, to focus outreach, training, and policy advocacy concentration for the national organization as a whole, but to related and tangentially-connected industries to their own.

Post-disaster temporary housing has been a significant challenge for the emergency management group and industries for many years. According to reports by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), housing in states and territories is ranked as the second to last proficient in 32 core capabilities for preparedness.The number of temporary housing required in a geographic area is influenced by a variety of factors, including social issues, financial concerns, labor workforce availability, and climate conditions. Acknowledging and creating a balance between these interconnected needs is considered as one of the main challenges that need to be addressed. Post-disaster temporary housing is a multi-objective process, thus reaching the optimized model relies on how different elements and objectives interact, sometimes even conflicting, with each other. This makes decision making in post-disaster construction more restricted and challenging, which has caused ineffective management in post-disaster housing reconstruction.

Few researches have studied the use of Artificial Intelligence modeling to reduce the time and cost of post-disaster sheltering. However, there is a lack of research and knowledge gap regarding the selection and the magnitude of effect of different factors of the most optimized type of Temporary Housing Units (THU) in a post-disaster event.

The proposed framework in this research uses supervised machine learing to maximize certain design aspects of and minimize some of the difficulties to better support creating temporary houses in post-disaster situations. The outcome in this study is the classification type of the THU, more particularly, classifying THUs based on whether they are built on-site or off-site. In order to collect primary data for creating the model and evaluating the magnitude of effect for each factor in the process, a set of surveys were distributed between the key players and policymakers who play a role in providing temporary housing to people affected by natural disasters in the United States. The outcome of this framework benefits from tacit knowledge of the experts in the field to show the challenges and issues in the subject. The result of this study is a data-based multi-objective decision-making tool for selecting the THU type. Using this tool, policymakers who are in charge of selecting and allocating post-disaster accommodations can select the THU type most responsive to the local needs and characteristics of the affected people in each natural disaster.