Dissertations / Theses: 'Automation and technology in building and construction'

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Folkesson, Patrik, and Robert Lönnroos. "Construction Automation : Assessment of State of the Art and Future Possibilities." Thesis, Mälardalens högskola, Akademin för innovation, design och teknik, 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-39553.

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The world of automation has grown rapidly for the last four decades and it is driven by higher demands from users, technology development and maturity of technologies of industrial processes. Companies all over the world have automated their manufacturing processes which have led to billions of dollars in productivity and quality improvements. In the construction industry innovation transpires extremely slowly and a reluctance to implement new strategies and a low research and development budget also contribute to the slow innovation rate. Because of this, technical innovations such as automation solutions are uncommon in the construction industry. Methods and concepts from the manufacturing industry, such as lean principles and mass customization, have for some time tried to be implemented the construction industry to reach higher productivity. However, despite those efforts, automation solutions are not yet commonplace on the average construction site. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate existing and emerging automation solutions that could be used to automate on-site construction operations with the use of digital technologies. Empirical and theoretical studies were conducted. A literature study was conducted to gain knowledge regarding the construction industry and its digitalization and general level of automation. This was then complemented with an interview study, where Skanska AB’s Technical Specialist was one of the interviewees, in addition to being the company’s mentor for this thesis. Skanska served as an example of a representative construction company since it is one of the largest construction companies in the world. To widen the data collection, the interview study included several relevant companies where their representatives were interviewed regarding their own state of digitalization and automation. For guiding the purpose of the thesis, three research questions were formulated. The research for answering these questions led to the resulting findings regarding what is possible to automate on the construction site, what the benefits could be from implementing such solutions and what the challenges are which needs to be overcome. The results of these studies show that the construction industry is facing challenges regarding the implementation of automation solutions. Examples of this are the lack of data in general, safety concerns and project planning operations. The currently existing industrial robots, for example, are generally heavy with low lifting capacity to weight ratio which is not much of a problem in a manufacturing setting, but it makes for an imperfect fit in the construction industry, since movability and high lifting capacity is of interest for such implementations. This thesis provides knowledge of available technologies that can be used for implementing automation at the construction site as well as what benefits can be expected from successful implementations of such solutions, such as higher productivity, increased profitability and increased safety for both equipment and personnel.

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Sedehi, Arya John. "Leveraging radio frequency technology identification for productivity analysis in high-rise construction." Thesis, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/39625.

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Until recent developments, labor productivity had been analyzed manually requiring time-consuming work and the possibility of human error. Past research has shown the multitude of benefits obtained from implementing radio frequency identification technology within various construction sites including asset tracking, inventory management, and on-site security upgrades. Additional construction improvements can be identified in terms of productivity analysis of work crews, material transport, and the overall approach to a project to determine whether the construction process is operating at maximum efficiency or can be adjusted to improve its effectiveness. This paper presents the results of implementing radio-frequency identification technology and provides a study of labor productivity analysis for a window replacement project on a high-rise construction site. This extensive study tracks the efficiency of a buck hoist worker and material lift system for transportation and illustrates the applicability of the technology despite the presence of numerous signal impeding obstacles located throughout the site. These issues are resolved with an effective automated location and time tracking system that work in both an indoor and outdoor environment simultaneously with a data recording software and database. The in-house development of the database allows for timely information retrieval of various items of interest in this study and requires less The experimental results show that RFID technology has the capacity to work and produce useful data for labor productivity purposes in an ever-changing construction environment. The research further recognizes relevant information regarding system optimization and worker feedback for future use.

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Lindberg, Joakim, and Adam Viebke. "Systemsvagheter och systemstyrkor för användandet och utvecklandet av fastighetsautomation : En explorativ intervjustudie av teknologiska innovationssystem inom byggindustrin." Thesis, Luleå tekniska universitet, Institutionen för ekonomi, teknik och samhälle, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:ltu:diva-64301.

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Buildings today represent a large part of societies energy consumption. The increasing environmental awareness has sparked an interest in lowering building energy consumption and building automation systems has been recognized as an effective way of contributing to a more sustainable society. The purpose of this report is to identify the blocking and driving forces between actors in the construction industry when implementing and developing building automation systems. By understanding the blocking and driving forces of a technology in a system, an understanding can be developed of how the industry should act to increase the usage and development of certain technology. Building automation systems can be said to be a systemic innovation, that is, an innovation that affects more than one actor. As there is more than one actor affected by the innovation, systemic innovations are characterized by the complexity when enforcing it. A tool for understanding problems that different actors’ face is the technological innovation framework. This framework has laid the foundation for the analysis of the system strengths and system weaknesses when implementing and developing building automation. In addition, a literature study on technological innovation systems and systemic innovation has been conducted. By examining and evaluating collected data from 19 expert interviews based on the following seven functions presented in the technological innovation framework, five system weaknesses and four system strengths have been identified. The five system weaknesses are (1). The construction industry´s structure and working methods, (2). Lack of industrial cooperation, (3). The conservative attitude in the construction industry, (4). Limited access and development of human capital, and (5) Weak market incentives. Based on these system weaknesses, a discussion was conducted regarding the importance of coordination between the construction industry’s actors and its different disciplines. With the understanding of the four system strengths, (1). Established marked and proven technology, (2). Strong digitalization trends and positive knowledge development, (3). Increased environmental awareness and, (4). Strong urbanization trends, creates an understanding of what factors that drives the systems forward.
Byggnader representerar idag en stor del av den totala energiförbrukningen i samhället. I takt med en ökad miljömedvetenhet har intresset för att sänka byggnaders energiförbrukning blivit en allt viktigare fråga och fastighetsautomation har uppmärksammats som ett effektivt sätt för att bidra till ett mer hållbart samhälle. Syfte med denna rapport är att identifiera de systemsvagheter och systemstyrkor som finns mellan aktörerna i byggindustrin vid implementering och utveckling av fastighetsautomation. Genom att förstå systemsvagheterna och systemstyrkorna för en teknologi i ett system kan förståelse skapas för hur en industri skall agera för att kunna öka användandet och utvecklingen av en viss teknik. Fastighetsautomation kan sägas vara en systemisk innovation, det vill säga en innovation som påverkar fler än en part. I och med att flera aktörer påverkas av innovationen kännetecknas systemiska innovationer av dess komplexitet att genomföra. Ett verktyg för att förstå de bakomliggande utmaningarna för ett system är det teknologiska innovationsramverket. Ramverket har legat till grund för analysen kring systemstyrkor och systemsvagheter inom området för fastighetsautomation. Till detta har även en litteraturstudie genomförts kring teknologiska innovationssystem samt systemisk innovation. Genom att ha undersökt insamlade data från 19 expertintervjuer baserade på de sju funktionerna som presenterats i det teknologiska innovationsramverket, har fem systemsvagheter och fyra systemstyrkor kunnat identifieras. De fem systemsvagheterna är (B1). Byggindustrins uppbyggnad och arbetssätt, (B2). Bristande industriell samverkan, (B3). Byggindustrins konservativa attityd, (B4). Begränsad tillgång och utveckling av humankapital, och (B5) Svaga marknadsincitament. Baserat på systemsvagheterna förs en diskussion kring vikten av samordning mellan byggindustrins aktörer och discipliner. Med förståelsen för de fyra systemstyrkorna, (D1). Etablerad marknad och beprövad teknik, (D2). Stark digitaliseringstrend och positiv kunskaps tillförsel, (D3). Ökad miljömedvetenhet och (D4). Stark urbaniseringstrend, skapas en förståelse för faktorer som gynnar byggindustrins arbete med fastighetsautomation.

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Taylor, Mark D. "Economic appraisal and risk analysis of construction automation." Thesis, Edinburgh Napier University, 2003. http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/4278.

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Ibanez-Guzman, Javier. "Robotic tools and automation aids for modular construction of building." Thesis, University of Reading, 1993. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.358027.

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Howe, A. Scott. "Modular robots for self-constructing building systems." Thesis, Click to view the E-thesis via HKUTO, 2007. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record/B39005185.

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Winroth, Robin. "Evaluating the Next Generation of Building Automation – IoT SmartBuildings." Thesis, KTH, Skolan för kemi, bioteknologi och hälsa (CBH), 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-278048.

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Abstract Building automation systems typically use proprietary hardware and included softwarefor their automation which can make the systems vendor-locked. Establishedprogramming standards limits the freedom of companies to improve their automationsystems with the growth of the IT era. The purpose of the thesis is to investigateand evaluate IoT solutions and implement one of these methods as proof ofconcept and to elicit new aspects for analysis and discussion. With the literature study three different methods was discovered followed bya comparative study. These methods include: Porting the existing software andmoving the automation process. Replacing the hardware with smaller computers.Adding a server as translator between the building and the cloud. The methods have different use cases with the objective of integrating a cloudservice to create smarter building automation system to reduce energy consumptionin buildings. One of the methods was proven to be most suitable for implementationbased on requirements set by experts in the field. The method chosenwas porting a smaller portion of an existing BAS to a new programming language. The final prototype was completed with a ported program, from IEC 61131-3 standard to Java and the automation was moved from a programmable logiccontroller to an edge unit. The discussion focuses on different ways of optimizingthe system, one of the optimization is to move the automation process to cloudcomputing. Energy managements are considered by collecting data and metadatain the cloud to create energy profiles for reduced energy consumption. Keywords: internet of things, building management system, buildingautomation system, programmable logic controller, porting, legacy, energymanagement, cloud services

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Nassar, Khaled. "A Framework for Building Assembly Selection and Generation." Diss., Virginia Tech, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/29138.

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In practice, the building design process can be divided into three major stages; schematic design, design implementation and construction documents development. The majority of the time in the building design delivery process is spent in the latter two stages. Computers can greatly aid the designer in the latter two stages, by providing a tool that helps in choosing the best assemblies for a particular design and, helping in automating the process of construction detail generation. There is lack of such a tool in the architecture design domain. In this dissertation, a novel approach for the selection and generation of building assemblies is presented. A building product model is described. In this model the building is broken down into assemblies. Each assembly has a graphical representation. By using the assemblies' representations a designer can specify his/her design concept. These assemblies are intelligent. They know how to select the correct assembly constructions for each particular design situation, based on a set of defined criteria and constraints. The different kinds of criteria and constraints that affect the selection of assemblies are identified, and examples are provided. A selection procedure is developed that can perform the selection taking into consideration the various criteria and constraints to produce a best compromise solution. A computer prototype is developed on top of a traditional computer graphics package (AutoCAD) as a proof of concept. In the prototype, the design knowledge is encapsulated and intelligence is added to the building assemblies of a specific construction type. This intelligence allows the assemblies to be automatically selected and analyzed. Several examples of assemblies are developed in the computer prototype. The treatment of building components as intelligent objects will significantly increase the efficiency of design in terms of economy and performance. This is because issues related to the specific design can be addressed in an organized way. Issues like cost, constructability, and other performances can be taken into consideration at the design level. The approach described here provides a more efficient and time saving way for selection of building assembly constructions.
Ph. D.

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Bellman, Markus, and Gustav Göransson. "Intelligent Process Automation : Building the bridge between Robotic Process Automation and Artificial Intelligence." Thesis, KTH, Skolan för industriell teknik och management (ITM), 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-263090.

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Process Automation has the potential to yield great benefits for companies and organizations, especially in the financial services industry where companies are information-intensive and experience rich data flows. This has mostly been done through Robotic Process Automation (RPA), but the increased maturity of Machine Learning algorithms has increased the viability of combining classic RPA with Artificial Intelligence, leading to Intelligent Process Automation (IPA). However, there is a set of challenges embedded in the transition from RPA to IPA. These challenges need to be dealt with in order to ensure that the benefits of the new technology can be harvested. The aim of this research was to identify this set of challenges that the companies will face, as well as provide guidance to what preparations that need to be made before IPA can be implemented in full scale. The research was conducted as a theory building case study at a large Swedish bank. An empirical study was conducted, consisting of interviews with researchers, as well as automation professionals and R&D at the case company. The findings of the empirical study and previous research on the area were combined and condensed into a guiding framework for organizations wanting to adopt IPA.
Processautomation har potentialen att ge stora fördelar för företag och organisationer, speciellt i finansbranschen där företag är informationsintensiva och har stora dataflöden. Detta har huvudsakligen gjorts med Robotic Process Automation (RPA) men den ökade mognadsgraden av maskininlärning har snabbt förbättrat möjligheten att kombinera RPA med Artificiell Intelligens (AI) för att därmed möjliggöra Intelligent Process Automation (IPA). I övergången från RPA till IPA uppkommer däremot en del utmaningar och problem som företag måste hanteras innan potentialen med dessa nya tekniker kan förverkligas. Den här forskningen ämnar att identifiera de utmaningar som företagen kommer ställas inför samt ge vägledning för vilka förberedelser som företagen måste genomföra innan IPA kan implementeras fullskaligt i organisationen. Forskningen genomfördes som en teoribyggande fallstudie på en stor svensk bank. Den teoretiska grunden samlades in genom en omfattande litteraturstudie och en empirisk studie bestående av intervjuer med forskare samt automationsutvecklare och FoU på banken. Resultaten från litteraturstudien och empirin kombinerades och kondenserades till ett vägvisande ramverk för organisationer som vill implementera IPA.

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Fu, Chenglong. "Automation of Building Energy Performance Simulation with IDA ICE." Thesis, KTH, Hållbar utveckling, miljövetenskap och teknik, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-284528.

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Buildings play a central role for livability and carbon footprint of urban areas. Ambitious energy saving and emission reduction targets created a need for a new generation of decisionsupport methods and tools that allow for detailed analysis of urban energy on a large scale. Urban building energy modeling (UBEM) that has emerged recently is an efficient approach to assess energy performance of multiple buildings and system effects from urban energy interventions. However, the further upscale of UBEMs is significantly limited due to the lack of automation for building energy performance (BEP) simulations required for such models in large amounts. This thesis aimed to explore challenges for automation of BEP simulations, and to develop a prototype tool that would serve as a middleware between UBEM and BEP simulation engine, focusing on the IDA ICE simulation software. The result of this thesis is icepy — a tool for automation of BEP simulations in IDA ICE. It uses IDA ICE API and Lisp scripting to provide interaction between UBEM process and IDA ICE in order to generate initial simulation model (IDM), execute simulation and manage results in an automated way. Being implemented as a Python package, it allows to modify multiple IDMs or export simulation results with a few lines of code. The developed tool has been tested and validated for the case building in Minneberg, Stockholm. The automation capabilities provided by icepy has allowed to perform sensitivity analysis for building design parameters as was demonstrated for the window-to-wall ratio (WWR) and three various algorithms for window distribution. The resulting tool has limited functionality as it addressed building envelopes which is only one component of building simulation. However, it has proved to be an efficient approach to automate simulation process and has shown a good potential for further development of such tools.
Byggnader spelar en central roll för urbana områdens levbarhet och koldioxidavtryck. Ambitiösa mål för energibesparing och utsläppsminskning har skapat ett behov av en ny generation beslutsstödmetoder och verktyg som möjliggör detaljerad analys av städers energianvändning i stor skala. Urban byggnadsenergimodellering (UBEM) har nyligen utvecklats och är ett effektivt tillvägagångssätt för att bedöma energiprestanda för flera byggnader och systemeffekter för olika energiåtgärder inom den urban miljön. Den ytterligare uppskalningen av UBEM är dock begränsad på grund av bristen på automation av simulering som är inriktade på byggnadsenergiprestanda (BEP), vilket krävs för att hantera stora byggnadsbestånd. Det här examensarbetet syftar till att utforska utmaningar med automatisering av BEP-simuleringar och att utveckla en prototyp som ska fungera som en mellanprogramvara mellan UBEM och BEP-simuleringsmotorer, med fokus på IDA ICE(som är en simuleringsprogramvara). Resultatet av examensarbetet är icepy, som är ett verktyg för att automatisera BEP-simuleringar i IDA-ICE. Icepy använder IDA ICE API och Lispskript för att tillhandahålla interaktion mellan UBEM-processen och IDA ICE för att generera en initial simuleringsmodell (IDM), utför själva simuleringen och slutligen hanterar resultatet på ett automatiserat sätt. Genom att icepy implementeras som ett Pythonpaket kan den modifiera flera IDM:er och även exportera simuleringsresultat med några få kodrader. Området Minneberg i Stockholm har använts i en fallstudie för att validera och testa verktyget. Automatiseringsfunktionerna i icepy har möjliggjort känslighetsanalyser för olika byggnadsdesignparametrar, exempelvis studerades påverkan av olika värden på förhållandet mellan fönster och väggar genom användning av tre olika algoritmer för fönsterdistributioner. Det utvecklade verktyget har begränsningar i funktionalitet framförallt på grund av att enbart byggnadens ytterskal studerades i byggnadsenergisimuleringarna. Verktyget har dock visat sig vara ett effektivt tillvägagångssätt för att automatisera simuleringsprocesser, vilket visar på en god potential att också vidareutveckla dessa verktyg.

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Hardcastle, Clifford. "An information model of the construction cost estimating process." Thesis, Heriot-Watt University, 1992. http://hdl.handle.net/10399/1386.

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It is argued that a fundamental criterion which has received little consideration in the investigation of cost prediction is the impact of information upon accuracy. An information model is developed by drawing on the work of communication engineers, information scientists and psychologists. It is then demonstrated that information cannot be divorced from the knowledge of the receiver and as such it then becomes necessary to determine how knowledge is accumulated and how this then impacts upon the need and demand for information, the choice of relevant information, as well as how that information is utilised. The concept of relevance is considered from a logical and psychological perspective. On completion of this analysis the information model which links cost estimating with entropy, information and knowledge is completed. It is argued that the developed model is comprehensive and facilitates the progression of research in this field. The model is then used as a basis for the investigation of the relationship between information and expertise in estimating, choice of information for estimating, impact of information on estimating, perceptions of information quality and the perceptions of the importance of information facets and attributes to the estimating process.

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Simmonds, Daphne Marie. "Information Technology and Sustainability| An Empirical Study of the Value of the Building Automation System." Thesis, University of South Florida, 2015. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3722168.

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This study examines the environmental and economic effects of green information technology (IT). Green IT describes two sets of IT innovations: one set includes innovations that are implemented to reduce the environmental impact of IT services in organizations; and the other IT to reduce the environmental impact of other organizational processes. The two sets respond to the call for more environmentally friendly or “greener” organizational processes.

I developed and tested a preliminary model. The model applied the resource based view (RBV) of the firm (Wernerfelt 1984) the stakeholder theory (Freeman 1984) and included four constructs: (1) BAS implementation; environmental value conceived in a novel way as the conservation of electric energy in buildings; economic value -- from energy cost savings; and BAS complements. These four constructs formed three propositions: (1) BAS implementation is positively associated with environmental value; (2) environmental value is positively associated with economic value; and BAS complements moderate the relationship BAS implementation and environmental value.

The model was used to guide the investigation of three research questions: 1. What are the environmental and economic values of green IT? 2. How do green IT create the above values? 3. Are other dimensions of value created? If so, what are they?

The focal IT investigated was the building automation system – a system designed to conserve electric energy and decrease operational costs. The unit of analysis of the study was the facilities management team – the implementers of the system.

I collected data on a sample of six diverse cases of BAS implementations. The cases were diverse in terms of the BAS types, the building purposes, the building locations and the building occupancy and management. Two types of BAS were involved in the study, each with a different level of artificial intelligence: the more intelligent BAS self-reconfigured when changes in setpoints, for example, were necessary; the less intelligent BAS must be reconfigured by an engineer in similar circumstances.

There was also diversity in terms of the buildings in which the systems were implemented and the occupancy and management of the buildings. The buildings include: the corporate headquarters of a global telecommunications firm; university classrooms; a residence hall in a university; and three multi-tenanted office complexes. The building occupancy and management differ in that some buildings are owner-occupied and are managed in-house, while the others are leased and their management outsourced.

Data collection involved recorded semi-structured interviews of three sets of users in the organizations: building engineers; chief engineers; and property/facilities managers. The interviews were prearranged and were conducted onsite using an interview protocol. Each interview lasted approximately one hour and was conducted in one session. The data were transcribed and analyzed in Nvivo 10.

The findings showed support for the presence of the four constructs within the preliminary model as well as for the three propositions in the preliminary model. The data also revealed contextual details of the BAS implementation and BAS complements constructs. There were also new dimensions value including: unanticipated types of economic value (including savings from reduced labor demand; social value (comfort and safety for building occupants); and strategic value (knowledge used to position the organizations for greater efficiency and effectiveness). Overall, the value outcomes of the implementations can be summarized as short term social, environmental and economic value as well as strategic value – consistent with the concept of sustainable value defined by Hart et al. (1995).

Also, consistent with Zuboff’s (1985) description of the duality of intelligent IT systems -- the ability to informate and automate, the BAS implementation construct was found to include two distinct sources of value: equipment automation; and equipment information. The unanticipated value dimensions and types, as well as the sources of value were used to refine the research model.

The study therefore a preliminary theoretical model – the resource based view of the sustainable organization (RBV-SO) -- as well as contextual implementation details that can be used to guide future investigations of the value created by intelligent green IT systems such as the BAS, as well as measurement items that can be used to inform quantitative studies of these systems. The study also adds to the practical body of knowledge concerning green IT implementations in general and implementations of the BAS in particular, concerning: details of the information value – for example, for measuring the environmental impact of the system and for substantiating claims in the application for green funds available to organizations; and details of some key complementary resources that enhance value creation within the context.

Two major limitations of this study are: (1) a single coder was used in the analysis process and therefore no inter-coder reliability was established for the results; and (2) user perceptions rather than actual quantities were used to validate the findings.

Some future research prospects include: use of these findings to conduct a quantitative study of an intelligent system extended with, for example, investigation of the impact of external forces such as government regulations, environmental issue salience, and market forces on the value created by green IT (such as the BAS); and investigation of the impact over time of the development of the strategic capabilities enabled by the BAS on creation of value.

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Zhai, Dong. "THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND CONSTRUCTION PRODUCTIVITY." UKnowledge, 2010. http://uknowledge.uky.edu/gradschool_diss/44.

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Over the past decades, information technology has been impacting industries, economics, the way of life and even the culture throughout the world. Productivity has been attracting much attention as an important indicator of economics, and numerous researchers have investigated the relationship between information technology and productivity. Construction is one of the largest industries in the United States, but little research has been conducted to investigate the relationship between information technology and construction productivity. The major objective of this dissertation is to determine the degree (if any) to which information technology usage, specifically the use of information technology to automate and integrate construction project work functions, is related to construction productivity. First, the author analyzed the relationship between information technology and construction productivity on a national-level basis. Second, the author compared the relationship between information technology’ contribution to value added growth and productivity in the construction industry with other industries. Third, the author performed a series of statistical analyses to investigate the relationship between construction productivity and automation and integration applications at the construction project level. Based on the above results, the author developed a matrix to map the relationship between technology usage on each work function and productivity in the concrete, structural steel, electrical and piping trades. In addition, a technology index developed from technology usage on all of the work functions were used to investigate the general effect of information technology usage on a project level. In order to leverage the relative importance of technology on each work function, regression analyses were performed to obtain a further understanding of the relationship. Factor analysis was also applied to identify the latent factors and simplify the patterns of relationships among the different work functions. This analysis could provide construction companies an indication about information technology usage priority and deployment in their work. Finally, a detailed examination of how Building Information Modeling, representing a current significant advancement of information technology usage on many construction projects, impacts the performance of a specific construction project is performed through a case example.

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Duerr, Douglas K., and Douglas K. Duerr. "A computer tutorial as a pedagogical tool for building construction technology." Thesis, The University of Arizona, 1991. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/626032.

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Fox, Stephen John. "Application of design for manufacture principles to building design and construction." Thesis, Sheffield Hallam University, 2001. http://shura.shu.ac.uk/19207/.

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The aim of this thesis is to answer the two research questions: how can design for manufacture be applied during building component design and building design?; and how can the application of design for manufacture be successful in improving the productivity and quality of building component production and building construction? These two questions emerged during exploratory research focused on the use of design to improve construction industry productivity and quality. Subsequent review of manufacturing literature revealed that the two key principles of design for manufacture are standard production design improvement rules and standard production design evaluation metrics. Review of construction literature, and a survey involving over one hundred and fifty industry practitioners, revealed that, whilst rules and metrics for building components and buildings do not currently exist, there are no fundamental reasons why they could not be developed and applied successfully. These findings led to the generation of the research hypothesis: design for manufacture principles can be applied successfully to building components and buildings. The research hypothesis was tested by two interventions, action research within a private business which manufactures and installs building components, and a case study with a multi-national company which designs and constructs buildings. These interventions resulted in significant business benefits. Further, they confirmed that it is both technically feasible and economically viable to apply rules and metrics to building component design and building design, and that doing so can improve the productivity and quality of building component production and building construction. Following analysis of research findings, strategic plans were developed for the successful application of rules and metrics. These were validated through interviews with senior construction industry practitioners. Contributions to knowledge include the strategic plans for successful application of rules and metrics. These cover the full range of organisations working in the construction industry and, together with the detailed descriptions of the interventions, offer practical guidance for industry practitioners seeking to improve productivity and quality. The research also makes a contribution in the area of research methodology. It has shown that threats to research validity in the construction industry can be counteracted by applying a quasi-experimental perspective to action research interventions and case studies.

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Mayon, Isaac Dompo. "Exploring Earth-Building Technology for Liberia." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2009. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/1896.

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This paper discusses earth as a building material and the extent to which earth building technology has evolved over the years. In particular it addresses the adobe, compressed and rammed earth techniques of earth building as suitable techniques for Liberia consumption. In addition, the paper investigates the suitability of the Latosols soils of Liberia for earth building construction purposes using standardized earth building principles and requirements. A local Johnson City, Tennessee, earth sample found to have the same physical characteristics of the Latosols of Liberia was used to simulate Liberia soils to produce specimen blocks at different configurations of moisture content and stabilizers (Bentonite and cement). Following 14 days of cure, the blocks were tested for compressive strength. It was found that blocks produced from the natural soil with no stabilizer added were structurally adequate for building construction purposes. A cost-benefit analysis involving blocks with and without stabilizer (cement) added was also performed.

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Simmonds, Daphne Marie. "Information Technology & Sustainability: An Empirical Study of the Value of the Building Automation System." Scholar Commons, 2015. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/5774.

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This study examines the environmental and economic effects of green information technology (IT). Green IT describes two sets of IT innovations: one set includes innovations that are implemented to reduce the environmental impact of IT services in organizations; and the other IT to reduce the environmental impact of other organizational processes. The two sets respond to the call for more environmentally friendly or “greener” organizational processes. I developed and tested a preliminary model. The model applied the resource based view (RBV) of the firm (Wernerfelt 1984) the stakeholder theory (Freeman 1984) and included four constructs: (1) BAS implementation; environmental value conceived in a novel way as the conservation of electric energy in buildings; economic value -- from energy cost savings; and BAS complements. These four constructs formed three propositions: (1) BAS implementation is positively associated with environmental value; (2) environmental value is positively associated with economic value; and BAS complements moderate the relationship BAS implementation and environmental value. The model was used to guide the investigation of three research questions: 1. What are the environmental and economic values of green IT? 2. How do green IT create the above values? 3. Are other dimensions of value created? If so, what are they? The focal IT investigated was the building automation system – a system designed to conserve electric energy and decrease operational costs. The unit of analysis of the study was the facilities management team – the implementers of the system. I collected data on a sample of six diverse cases of BAS implementations. The cases were diverse in terms of the BAS types, the building purposes, the building locations and the building occupancy and management. Two types of BAS were involved in the study, each with a different level of artificial intelligence: the more intelligent BAS self-reconfigured when changes in setpoints, for example, were necessary; the less intelligent BAS must be reconfigured by an engineer in similar circumstances. There was also diversity in terms of the buildings in which the systems were implemented and the occupancy and management of the buildings. The buildings include: the corporate headquarters of a global telecommunications firm; university classrooms; a residence hall in a university; and three multi-tenanted office complexes. The building occupancy and management differ in that some buildings are owner-occupied and are managed in-house, while the others are leased and their management outsourced. Data collection involved recorded semi-structured interviews of three sets of users in the organizations: building engineers; chief engineers; and property/facilities managers. The interviews were prearranged and were conducted onsite using an interview protocol. Each interview lasted approximately one hour and was conducted in one session. The data were transcribed and analyzed in Nvivo 10. The findings showed support for the presence of the four constructs within the preliminary model as well as for the three propositions in the preliminary model. The data also revealed contextual details of the BAS implementation and BAS complements constructs. There were also new dimensions value including: unanticipated types of economic value (including savings from reduced labor demand; social value (comfort and safety for building occupants); and strategic value (knowledge used to position the organizations for greater efficiency and effectiveness). Overall, the value outcomes of the implementations can be summarized as short term social, environmental and economic value as well as strategic value – consistent with the concept of sustainable value defined by Hart et al. (1995). Also, consistent with Zuboff’s (1985) description of the duality of intelligent IT systems -- the ability to informate and automate, the BAS implementation construct was found to include two distinct sources of value: equipment automation; and equipment information. The unanticipated value dimensions and types, as well as the sources of value were used to refine the research model. The study therefore a preliminary theoretical model – the resource based view of the sustainable organization (RBV-SO) -- as well as contextual implementation details that can be used to guide future investigations of the value created by intelligent green IT systems such as the BAS, as well as measurement items that can be used to inform quantitative studies of these systems. The study also adds to the practical body of knowledge concerning green IT implementations in general and implementations of the BAS in particular, concerning: details of the information value – for example, for measuring the environmental impact of the system and for substantiating claims in the application for green funds available to organizations; and details of some key complementary resources that enhance value creation within the context. Two major limitations of this study are: (1) a single coder was used in the analysis process and therefore no inter-coder reliability was established for the results; and (2) user perceptions rather than actual quantities were used to validate the findings. Some future research prospects include: use of these findings to conduct a quantitative study of an intelligent system extended with, for example, investigation of the impact of external forces such as government regulations, environmental issue salience, and market forces on the value created by green IT (such as the BAS); and investigation of the impact over time of the development of the strategic capabilities enabled by the BAS on creation of value.

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Ma, Chao-Peng. "IT performance and organisational characteristics in construction firms : the case of Taiwanese contractors." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2001. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.251670.

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Odeyinka, Henry Agboola. "The development and validation of models for assessing risk impacts on construction cash flow forecast." Thesis, Glasgow Caledonian University, 2003. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.289428.

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Wolff, Sebastien Jean. "Statically Stable Assembly Sequence Generation And Structure Optimization For A Large Number Of Identical Building Blocks." Diss., Georgia Institute of Technology, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/14045.

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This work develops optimal assembly sequences for modular building blocks. The underlying concept is that an automated device could take a virtual shape such as a CAD file, and automatically decide how to physically build the shape using simple, identical building blocks. This entails deciding where to place blocks inside the shape and generating an efficient assembly sequence that a robot could use to build the shape. The blocks are defined in a general, parameterized manner such that the model can be easily modified in the future. The primary focus of this work is the development of methods for generating assembly sequences in a time-feasible manner that ensure static stability at each step of the assembly. Most existing research focuses on complete enumeration of every possible assembly sequence and evaluation of many possible sequences. This, however, is not practical for systems with a large number of parts for two reasons: (1) the number of possible assembly sequences is exponential in the number of parts, and (2) each static stability test is very time-consuming. The approach proposed here is to develop a multi-hierarchical rule-based approach to assembly sequences. This is accomplished by formalizing and justifying both high-level and mid-level assembly rules based on static considerations. Application of these rules helps develop assembly sequences rapidly. The assembly sequence is developed in a time-feasible manner according to the geometry of the structure, rather than evaluating statics along the way. This work only evaluates the static stability of each step of the assembly once. The behavior of the various rules is observed both numerically and through theory, and guidelines are developed to suggest which rules to apply. A secondary focus of this work is to introduce methods by which the inside of the structure can be optimized. This structure optimization research is implemented by genetic algorithms that solve the multi-objective optimization problem in two dimensions, and can be extended to three dimensions.

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Sulaiman, Noor Fauziah. "The development of a dual phase approach to embracing a total quality culture in the Malaysian construction industry." Thesis, Glasgow Caledonian University, 2002. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.251242.

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Ross, Sheila. "Bamboo construction as a sustainable building technology from a structural and materials engineering perspective." Master's thesis, Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/33901.

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The objective of this dissertation is to determine whether bamboo culms or stems are suitable for use as a construction material for permanent structures, from an engineering as well as a sustainability perspective. A secondary objective is to establish whether this would be a suitable building technology for South Africa. The research is desk-top in nature and involves reviewing articles in online journals and publications and collating the information into a coherent form. Eleven species of bamboo commonly used in construction worldwide are selected for investigation of their material and engineering properties. Based on the variations found in the various species of bamboo, approaches to engineering modelling and design of bamboo structures are detailed and discussed. Furthermore, four case studies are presented that illustrate the various areas where bamboo construction is currently used. Finally, research is done regarding the level of the South African bamboo industry, including whether a bamboo species currently exists in South Africa that would be suitable for construction purposes. The preliminary literature review indicated that there is a lack of scientific or structural information regarding bamboo as a building material from an engineering or materials perspective, both globally as well as in South Africa. Although a substantial amount of information was subsequently found on the various aspects of bamboo as a structural material, the information varies widely between sources, which is ascribed to variations in test methods as well as to the location of the species being tested. The design codes and standards from various countries for bamboo design and construction are briefly reviewed. For countries where there is currently no bamboo design code or standard, such as South Africa, it is recommended that the International Standard, ISO 22156, be used as a design basis, using specific material properties relevant to the local species. Many publications state that bamboo is a sustainable building material, comparing favourably with other building materials. However, quantitative proof was found to be either lacking or unclear. Different methods were used in the publications to evaluate bamboo from an environmental perspective, making it difficult to compare and evaluate the different reports and results. However, despite the different methods, it appears that bamboo can be regarded as an environmentally favourable material, provided that local species are used in construction. The four case studies presented demonstrate that bamboo culms are suitable for use in large structures, such as bridges or trusses, as well as for smaller structures such as buildings or houses. They also illustrate the issues that can occur if the design intent is not understood or correctly carried out during construction. South Africa has one bamboo species considered suitable for construction, namely Bambusa balcooa, which is grown in various parts of the country. The properties of the South African plants have not been established as yet. However, theoretical engineering and material properties as determined elsewhere in the world indicate that this is a viable construction material. Further areas of research are the establishment of the material and engineering properties of the local South African bamboo species Bambusa balcooa, as well as further research into the behaviour of bamboo in fire conditions.

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Alekhtyar, Mumena. "Building Information Modelling and Virtual Design and Construction : Differentiations and interaction." Thesis, KTH, Fastigheter och byggande, 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-231602.

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Within the last decade BIM technology products have been providing the construction industry with various tools that can be used in all construction phases and aspects with a wide set of potentials that range from visualization to simulation, scheduling and cost estimation (Kam , et al., 2016). As a result, the term BIM started to have new interpretation from a process- oriented perspective beside the product-oriented interpretation. These different interpretations and definitions of BIM creates an ambiguity regarding BIM. The ambiguity about what is BIM takes another direction when the term “Virtual Design and Constructions” VDC is used as synonym of BIM as well in many situations. VDC is defined as the use of integrated multi-disciplinary performance models of design-construction projects to support explicit and public business objectives (Kunz & Fischer, 2012). This study is an attempt to answer the following questions: What are the differences between BIM and VDC and how BIM and VDC interact and affect each other. As a result, a timeline for both terms was created based on a historical analysis for the emergence of both terms. Furthermore, more differences between VDC and BIM were located through literature reviews and empirics and this mapping was used to find how each term affects the other. The study was conducted in Tyréns Swedish consultancy company and it covered two infrastructure projects where VDC is used.

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Carlsén, Adam, and Oscar Elfstrand. "Augmented Construction : Developing a framework for implementing Building Information Modeling through Augmented Reality at construction sites." Thesis, Luleå tekniska universitet, Institutionen för ekonomi, teknik och samhälle, 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:ltu:diva-69254.

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Construction projects struggle to meet their budgeted cost, time, and quality requirements due to problems with cross-functional communication, which are made worse due to usage of mediums that are unable to handle the increasingly complex information required in the projects. Visualizing Building Information Models (BIM) through Augmented Reality (AR) on construction sites is believed to have the potential to solve many of the construction industry’s current communication problems. However, although academic efforts have been made regarding BIM through AR, contemporary research is limited to clinical trials and concludes that there is a need for studies conducted in real construction environments; even though practical testing has been conducted within the industry. To address this, the purpose of this report was to compile the academic knowledge and retrieve the experience available in the industry, and provide a situation assessment that updates the field of AR and BIM. Two research questions were formed: ‘What are the opportunities of using BIM through AR at construction sites?’ and ‘Which barriers are affecting the adoption of BIM and AR at construction sites, and what concrete measures can be taken?’. To answer the research questions, an exploratory study with abductive approach was used. The knowledge of industry practitioners with experience of BIM through AR testing, the usability of BIM, or the functionality of AR, was collected through 20 semi-structured interviews. These were analyzed using thematic methodology and the findings tested through a workshop at a major Swedish construction firm. The result confirmed that BIM through AR can solve some of the current communication problems within construction, and several barriers affecting the adoption of AR and BIM were found. These could be categorized into the dimensions: Process, User, or Technology. To each barrier a corresponding measure was identified, for instance; anchor the use of AR and BIM strategically, have an active role in AR development, and create organic dispersion of the technology. The results are also visualized in a roadmap depicting the different steps towards fully implemented AR and BIM. The findings contribute to the academia by extending the field of AR and BIM to include the perspectives of industry actors, and moving the focus of AR and BIM research past initial testing to actual implementation and usage of the technology. The main contribution towards managers is a roadmap which provides a sense of direction by being both a tool for assessing their company’s position along the path of AR and BIM implementation, but also provides insight regarding how to progress to the next step towards achieving fully implemented AR and BIM.

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Dabhi, Meet, and Karthik Ramanan Vaidyanathan. "Automation and synchronizationof traction assistance devices toimprove traction and steerability ofa construction truck." Thesis, KTH, Fordonsdynamik, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-209198.

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Automotive development has always been need-based and the product of today is an evolutionover several decades and a diversied technology application to deliver better products to theend users. Steady increase in the deployment of on-board electronics and software is characterizedby the demand and stringent regulations. Today, almost every function on-board a modernvehicle is either monitored or controlled electronically.One such specic demand for AB Volvo arose out of construction trucks in the US market. Usersseldom have/had a view of the operational boundaries of the drivetrain components, resultingin inappropriate use causing damage, poor traction and steering performance. Also, AB Volvo'sstand-alone traction assistance functions were not suciently capable to handle the vehicle useconditions. Hence, the goal was set to automate and synchronize the traction assistance devicesand software functions to improve the traction and steerability under a variety of road conditions.The rst steps in this thesis involved understanding the drivetrain components from design andoperational boundary perspective. The function descriptions of the various traction softwarefunctions were reviewed and a development/integration plan drafted. A literature survey wascarried out seeking potential improvement in traction from dierential locking and also its eectson steerability. A benchmarking exercise was carried out to identify competitor and suppliertechnologies available for the traction device automation task.The focus was then shifted to developing and validating the traction controller in a simulationenvironment. Importance was given to modeling of drivetrain components and renement ofvehicle behavior to study and understand the eects of dierential locking and develop a differentiallock control strategy. The modeling also included creating dierent road segments toreplicate use environment and simulating vehicle performance in the same, to reduce test timeand costs. With well-correlated vehicle performance results, a dierential lock control strategywas developed and simulated to observe traction improvement. It was then implemented onan all-wheel drive construction truck using dSPACE Autobox to test, validate and rene thecontroller.Periodic test sessions carried out at Hallered proving ground, Sweden were important to re-ne the control strategy. Feedback from test drivers and inputs from cross-functional teamswere essential to develop a robust controller and the same was tested for vehicle suitability andrepeatability of results. When comparing with the existing traction software functions, the integrateddierential lock and transfer case lock controller showed signicantly better performanceunder most test conditions. Repeatable results proved the reliability of developed controller.The correlation between vehicle test scenarios and simulation environment results indicated theaccuracy of software models and control strategy, bi-directionally.Finally, the new traction assistance device controller function was demonstrated within ABVolvo to showcase the traction improvement and uncompromising steerability.

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Lin, Frank Ching-Shou. "The integration between design and maintenance of office building automation : a decision support approach." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2005. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/16058/1/Frank_Lin_Thesis.pdf.

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This research explores the barriers and limitations of the interaction between building development processes in an attempt of an integrated decision support approach to improve building design for effective maintenance in the field of office building automation. Extensive coverage of literature and practice in office building industry over the last two decades indicates a wide diffusion and application of the information and communication technologies (ICT). While this has resulted in the adoption of advanced system integration in buildings, system redundancy and excessive expenditures are causing a major impact on the overall efficiency and has burdened building owners and occupiers with escalating maintenance costs. This phenomenon stimulates and warrants the re-examination of integrated building development, not just on system integration but also on the interdisciplinary development process integration particularly linking design and maintenance. Studies in this field revealed existing problems such as the inherent professional fragmentation, lack of historical information and service data, the first cost mentality of owners and developers, difficulties in forecasting future conditions and changes early in the design stage. With extensive use of qualitative information, this situation presents a great potential for the development of a decision support system exploring the communication and integration of design and maintenance phases, which has been one of the primary objectives of this research. In addition to literature studies, a questionnaire survey and a case study to identify industry concerns, feasible solutions, and practical procedure oriented approaches through knowledge extractions were carried out. A set of guidelines, a checklist for its implementation and prototype system for computerized decision support to design and maintenance of building automation systems were also produced. These strategic approaches to balance design and maintenance will help facilitate appropriate decision making in the early design stage for sustainable maintenance of buildings.

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Lin, Frank Ching-Shou. "The integration between design and maintenance of office building automation : a decision support approach." Queensland University of Technology, 2005. http://eprints.qut.edu.au/16058/.

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This research explores the barriers and limitations of the interaction between building development processes in an attempt of an integrated decision support approach to improve building design for effective maintenance in the field of office building automation. Extensive coverage of literature and practice in office building industry over the last two decades indicates a wide diffusion and application of the information and communication technologies (ICT). While this has resulted in the adoption of advanced system integration in buildings, system redundancy and excessive expenditures are causing a major impact on the overall efficiency and has burdened building owners and occupiers with escalating maintenance costs. This phenomenon stimulates and warrants the re-examination of integrated building development, not just on system integration but also on the interdisciplinary development process integration particularly linking design and maintenance. Studies in this field revealed existing problems such as the inherent professional fragmentation, lack of historical information and service data, the first cost mentality of owners and developers, difficulties in forecasting future conditions and changes early in the design stage. With extensive use of qualitative information, this situation presents a great potential for the development of a decision support system exploring the communication and integration of design and maintenance phases, which has been one of the primary objectives of this research. In addition to literature studies, a questionnaire survey and a case study to identify industry concerns, feasible solutions, and practical procedure oriented approaches through knowledge extractions were carried out. A set of guidelines, a checklist for its implementation and prototype system for computerized decision support to design and maintenance of building automation systems were also produced. These strategic approaches to balance design and maintenance will help facilitate appropriate decision making in the early design stage for sustainable maintenance of buildings.

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Wang, Qingguo. "Measurement and modelling of moisture transport processes within porous construction materials." Thesis, University of Bedfordshire, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10547/622114.

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Moisture is one of the primary factors connected with the damage observed on the envelope of buildings. The moisture states are normally dominated by moisture transport processes within and between porous building materials from rain penetration, rising damp or infiltration of water vapour that is normally accompanied with heat transfer. The research into moisture transport behaviour of building materials is extremely important for the characterisation of behaviour in connection with durability, waterproofing, degradation of appearance and thermal performance ofbuilding elements. In the first stage of this research, commercial gypsum plasters were experimentally investigated with their moisture transport specifications. The hydraulic parameters including sorptivity, saturated conductivity and permeability of water vapour were determined with new findings related with the dependence of hydraulic parameters on water/plaster ratios, wetting-drying cycles and additives. The results obtained were compared with other porous building materials and recommendations for their manufacture and selection in building construction were made. Secondly, on the basis of comprehensive investigations of the dielectric properties of gypsum plasters, an integrated automatic real-time monitoring system for moisture transport processes was designed and successfully developed utilising a pin-type resistance sensor and sensor array. The data acquisition, data analysis, result display and saving are all integrated with the computer controlled interface. The polarisation effects and temperature effects for various gypsum plaster materials were compensated and realised by control options. The monitoring system developed for moisture monitoring was directly applied in 1-dimension moisture transport processes and can easily be extended to the monitoring of 2 or 3 dimension moisture transport processes by embedding an appropriate sensor array into materials. In the third part of the research, on the basis of experimental investigation of water absorption processes of uniform materials and two-layer composites, the water diffusivity as functions of moisture content were determined from experimental moisture profiles for various gypsum plaster materials. The models governing the moisture transport processes were formed based on extended Darcy's law and experimental diffusivity functions. By applying the finite element method and developed software, the non-linear partial differential equations were numerically solved under specified boundary and initial conditions in absorption processes. The simulation results achieved satisfactory agreement with experimental moisture profiles for various materials and for two-layered composites.

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Regona, Massimo. "Opportunities and adoption constraints of artificial intelligence in the construction industry: A scoping study." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2022. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/232514/1/Massimo_Regona_Thesis.pdf.

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This MPhil thesis provides an overview of AI technologies and the key opportunities and challenges these technologies bring to the construction industry. The first study was a literature review that identified and explored the theoretical foundations underpinning AI technologies that are currently being used in construction, specifically in the design, planning and construction stages. Secondly, the study used social media analytics to explore AI technology adoption, prospects and constraints in the Australian construction industry. Finally, a sentiment analysis established the opportunities, challenges and public perception towards AI technologies in construction.

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Kloukinas, Dimitrios. "Neolithic building technology and the social context of construction practices : the case of northern Greece." Thesis, Cardiff University, 2015. http://orca.cf.ac.uk/69069/.

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This thesis addresses building technology and the social implications of house construction contributing to the understanding of past societies. The spatiotemporal context of the study is the Neolithic period (ca. 6600/6500–3300/3200 cal BC) in northern Greece (Macedonia and Thrace). All available evidence from various excavations in the region is assembled and synthesised. The principal house types (semi-subterranean structures and above-ground dwellings) and their technological characteristics in terms of materials and techniques are discussed. In addition, the building remains from the late Middle/Late Neolithic settlement of Avgi (Kastoria, Greece) are thoroughly examined. Their study highlights the potentials of a detailed, micro-scale investigation and puts forth a methodology for the technological analysis of house rubble in the form of fire-hardened daub. The data deriving from both the survey of dwelling remains in northern Greece and the case study are examined within their wider sociocultural context. The technological repertoire of the region, although indicating the sharing of a common ‘architectural vocabulary’, reveals alternative chaînes opératoires and variability in different stages of the building process. Variability and patterning are more pronounced during the later stages of the Neolithic. The distribution of architectural choices does not suggest the existence of established and region-wide shared architectural traditions. However, the circulation of specific techniques and conceptions points to the operation of overlapping networks of technological and social interaction. At the site-specific scale, sameness and standardisation in building technology are the prominent themes. Nevertheless, different trends towards standardisation or variability are observed and are approached in terms of social interaction and intra-community dynamics. What is more, domestic architecture is not necessarily static in the long term. Change occurs and is often associated with the transformation of these dynamics. Occasional evidence of intra-site variability in building techniques and the more pronounced anchoring into space during the later stages of the Neolithic period are considered as a result of the changing relationship between social units and the community. The appearance of stone and mud(brick) architecture in Late Neolithic central Macedonia is approached in these terms.

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Bowden, Sarah L. "Application of mobile IT in construction." Thesis, Loughborough University, 2005. https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/2134/794.

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In recent years, the construction industry has been compelled to explore all possible options for improving the delivery of their products and services. Clients are now expecting a better service and projects that meet their requirements more closely. This has challenged the industry to become more efficient, integrated and more attractive, with benefits for its potential workforce and for society as a whole. Information and communication technologies (ICT) are an enabler to facilitate the improvements required for modernisation. However, due to the geographically dispersed and nomadic nature of the construction industry's workforce, many people are prevented from efficiently and effectively using the ICT tools adopted to date. Mobile technologies providing the 'last mile' connection to the point-of activity could be the missing link to help address the ongoing drive for process improvement. Although this has been a well-researched area, several barriers to mainstream adoption still exist: including a perceived lack of suitable devices; a perceived lack of computer literacy; and the perceived high cost. Through extensive industry involvement, this research has taken the theoretical idea that mobile IT use in the construction industry would be beneficial, a step further; demonstrating by means of a state of the art assessment, usability trials, case studies and demonstration projects that the barriers to mainstream adoption can be overcome. The findings of this work have been presented in four peer-reviewed papers. An ongoing dissemination programme is expected to encourage further adoption.

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AI, Hussein Zaid K. "Using Building Information Modeling (BIM) and the Last Planner System (LPS) to Reduce Construction Process Delay." TopSCHOLAR®, 2016. http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/1746.

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The construction industry suffers from many practical problems and challenges; most being related to construction management. One of the most common recurring problems in construction projects is delay. Delay is a primary factor that can have an effect on project duration, scheduled delivery date, as well as the overhead cost of the project. This study investigated the problem of delays in construction projects. The research focused on the combination of Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Last Planner System (LPS) together to measure the execution time of construction projects. The aim of this study was to determine whether using BIM and LPS together affect construction process delay differently than using BIM or LPS alone. The methodology of this study relied on data collection through administration of survey questionnaires to key players and participants at construction companies. Interviews were conducted with construction experts from four construction companies that used BIM and LPS individually in their system as case studies to verify and validate the findings. The outcomes of this survey will be helpful to construction practitioners to reduce delay in construction operations and to shorten projects duration.

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Xu, Weili. "An Energy and Cost Performance Optimization Platform for Commercial Building System Design." Research Showcase @ CMU, 2017. http://repository.cmu.edu/dissertations/956.

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Energy and cost performance optimization for commercial building system design is growing in popularity, but it is often criticized for its time consuming process. Moreover, the current process lacks integration, which not only affects time performance, but also investors’ confidence in the predicted performance of the generated design. Such barriers keep building owners and design teams from embracing life cycle cost consideration. This thesis proposes a computationally efficient design optimization platform to improve the time performance and to streamline the workflow in an integrated multi-objective building system design optimization process. First, building system cost estimation is typically completed through a building information model based quantity take-off process, which does not provide sufficient design decision support features in the design process. To remedy this issue, an automatic cost estimation framework that integrates EnergyPlus with an external database to perform building systems’ capital and operation costs is proposed. Optimization, typically used for building system design selection, requires a large amount of computational time. The optimization process evaluates building envelope, electrical and HVAC systems in an integrated system not only to explore the cost-saving potential from a single high performance system, but also the interrelated effects among different systems. An innovative optimization strategy that integrates machine learning techniques with a conventional evolutionary algorithm is proposed. This strategy can reduce run time and improve the quality of the solutions. Lastly, developing baseline energy models typically takes days or weeks depending on the scale of the design. An automated system for generating baseline energy model according to ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1 performance rating method is thus proposed to provide a quick appraisal of optimal designs in comparison with the baseline energy requirements. The main contribution of this thesis is the development of a new design optimization platform to expedite the conventional decision making process. The platform integrates three systems: (1) cost estimation, (2) optimization and (3) benchmark comparison for minimizing the first cost and energy operation costs. This allows designers to confidently select an optimal design with high performance building systems by making a comparison with the minimum energy baseline set by standards in the building industry. Two commercial buildings are selected as case studies to demonstrate the effectiveness of this platform. One building is the Center for Sustainable Landscapes in Pittsburgh, PA. This case study is used as a new construction project. With 54 million possible design solutions, the platform is able to identify optimal designs in four hours. Some of the design solutions not only save the operation costs by up to 23% compared to the ASHRAE baseline design, but also reduce the capital cost ranging from 5% to 23%. Also, compared with the ASHRAE baseline design, one design solution demonstrates that the high investment of a product, building integrative photovoltaic (BiPV) system, can be justified through the integrative design optimization approach by the lower operation costs (20%) as well as the lower capital cost (12%). The second building is the One Montgomery Plaza, a large office building in Norristown, PA. This case study focuses on using the platform for a retrofit project. The calibrated energy model requires one hour to complete the simulation. There are 4000 possible design solutions proposed and the platform is able to find the optimal design solution in around 50 hours. Similarly, the results indicate that up to 25% capital cost can be saved with $1.7 million less operation costs in 25 years, compare to the ASHRAE baseline design.

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Goodwin, Peter. "The influence of industrial technology and material procurement on the design, construction and development of H.M.S. Victory." Thesis, University of St Andrews, 1998. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/15112.

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The aim of this paper is to show how industrial technology and material procurement influenced the development of British warship design and construction for the period 1760 to 1830 using the construction of HMS Victory as and archaeological base to work from. While much has been written about ship construction, technology and materials, these subjects have to some degree remained divorced from each other and thus need to be analysed collectively. To achieve this, this dissertation has been formulated into two parts; Part I covers the initial orders to build the Victory, the concepts of ship design, construction technique, and the materials employed when she was initially built. It also covers the designer and his contribution to ship development at the period and the possibility that he was influenced by current French shipbuilding practices. In brief, this section highlights the implications and possible inadequacies of general ship design in C.1760. Part II discusses the actual technological and constructional development of the Victory throughout her active career. The issues raised through this examination show that she very much reflects general ship development at the time. Besides endorsing the significant influence of industrial expansion, this section also emphasises the point that much can be learnt by analysing the ship using the same techniques as employed on an archaeological site. Sadly, the latter point has long been neglected, therefore, one of the objectives of this paper is to demonstrate that by archaeological investigation of individual timbers, a new dimension can be added to our understanding of structural development and building practices. To achieve this, I have chosen to examine HMS Victory as the most suitable three dimensional source, as her active working life falls within the dates specified above.

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Huang, Zhaohui. "The analysis of thermal and fire performance of cementitious building components." Thesis, University of Central Lancashire, 1995. http://clok.uclan.ac.uk/1765/.

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This work is concerned with the thermal and structural behaviour of reinforced concrete members in fire conditions. The numerical analyses of temperature histories and mechanical behaviour of reinforced concrete structural members subjected to fire are the major components of this research. In this thesis a non-linear finite element procedure is proposed to predict the temperature distribution history in the cross section of structural members, such as beams composed of reinforced concrete, in fire conditions. A theoretical analysis of heat and moisture transfer in concrete was made which incorporated the simplifications that energy transfer by convection and diffusion in concrete could be neglected. However, the effect of water evaporation in concrete was considered. The thermal properties of concrete were considered as temperature and moisture dependent and the thermal properties of steel as temperature dependent only. The fire conditions were described by standard time-temperature fire curves and convection and radiation boundary conditions were used. In order to validate the model a series of verification tests have been carried out through a quantitative comparison of the model predictions against known test results. Fairly good accuracy has been found. A non-linear finite element procedure for predicting the structural behaviour of the planar reinforced concrete members is also developed. The proposed procedure is based on "plane stress" theory and an iterative, secant stiffness formulation is employed. The complex features of structural behaviour in fire conditions, such as thermal expansion, shrinkage, creep, transient strains, cracking or crushing and change of material properties with temperature are considered in this model. Predictions from the model proposed are compared against experimental results, as well as against the model proposedb y previous researchers, and a better correlation to experimental data is found. It is shown that the secant stiffness approach can provide good numerical stability for the analysis of planar reinforced concrete members in fire conditions. The model proposed in this study has the potential to predict the fire resistance of a planar reinforced concrete members with an accuracy that is adequate for practical purposes if realistic material properties are available.

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Labib, Wafa Abdelmajeed. "An experimental study and finite analysis of punching shear failure in steel fibre-reinforced concrete ground-suspended floor slabs." Thesis, Liverpool John Moores University, 2008. http://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/5893/.

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The present research is concerned with investigating the structural effect of using steel fibre-reinforcement on the punching shear behaviour of ground-suspended slabs with internal columns. The main objectives of this research were to develop a constitutive model for steel fibre-reinforcement (SFRC), to study experimentally the punching shear behaviour of SFRC with no longitudinal reinforcement and to develop a finite element model that can accurately predict the behaviour of SFRC slabs subjected to punching shear. In this respect, a literature review of the work undertaken by previous researchers on punching shear behaviour of concrete slabs is presented. After that, a constitutive model for SFRC was developed. This is followed by a preliminary finite element analysis (FEA) and experimental study of SFRC slabs. Finally, a finite element model was developed. The literature review revealed that little work has been carried out to study the effect of fibre-reinforcement on the punching shear capacity of concrete slabs. Furthermore, structures, hence a thorough investigation in this area was mandatory. A constitutive model for SFRC in post-cracking stage was developed. This enables one to estimate the tension stiffening behaviour of SFRC based on a simple beam bending test and a statistical model developed in this research, this constitutive model was used later on in the modelling of the SFRC slabs using FEA. In the preliminary FEA, sufficient information for the size and the design of test specimens that were used in the experimental programme was produced. In the experimental study, eight steel fibre-reinforced concrete slab-column connection specimens were tested. The variables of the test specimens include the concrete compressive strength, fibre dosage and fibre aspect-ration.

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Xiong, Liang. "Impact of Green Design and Technology on Building Environment." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2015. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc822831/.

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Currently, the public has a strong sense of the need for environment protection and the use of sustainable, or “green,” design in buildings and other civil structures. Since green design elements and technologies are different from traditional design, they probably have impacts on the building environment, such as vibration, lighting, noise, temperature, relative humidity, and overall comfort. Determining these impacts of green design on building environments is the primary objective of this study. The Zero Energy Research (ZOE) laboratory, located at the University of North Texas Discovery Park, is analyzed as a case study. Because the ZOE lab is a building that combines various green design elements and energy efficient technologies, such as solar panels, a geothermal heating system, and wind turbines, it provides an ideal case to study. Through field measurements and a questionnaire survey of regular occupants of the ZOE lab, this thesis analyzed and reported: 1) whether green design elements changed the building’s ability to meet common building environmental standards, 2) whether green design elements assisted in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) scoring, and 3) whether green design elements decreased the subjective comfort level of the occupants.

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Shrestha, Chandra R. "Advanced technology in a low technology setting : the application of building information modeling in the rural settings of Nepal." Virtual Press, 2007. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/1379441.

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Advanced technology is often considered to be the property of those individuals or corporations based in the richest and most powerful nations, or the rich and powerful individuals or corporations that can be found in the world's poorest countries. It is typically the case that the most disadvantaged populations do not have equal access to the internet, laptops or personal workstations, fabricating machines, or any of the many software programs or hardware components that are available to many of the world's workers and citizens. There is a tremendous gap between those with access to advanced technology and those without.The aim of this thesis is to address this gap by speculating on the potential of implementing an advanced software application—Building information Modeling (BIM)--into several low technology settings that exist in the author's home country of Nepal.To advance this question, a number of research tactics were engaged: field research was conducted in Nepal during the summer of 2006; advanced digital applications, including Revit and BIM software, were studied and used both as a graduate student and an intern in an architectural firm in Atlanta, Georgia; and the non-governmental organization READNepal was contacted and studied, as was the architectural office with which they collaborate in Katmandu.Three different sites in Nepal were selected to highlight the differences present in the rural areas in terms of cultural, social, and physical qualities, as well as to consider the different "cultures of building" and levels of technological sophistication in the three settings.In time, "trajectories" were developed that link the digital tools readily available to the READNepal offices in New York and Nepal, with the architect's office in Katmandu, and with the contractors and day laborers (who are often illiterate) in the countryside. In this sense, it is suggested that through the introduction of basic software and hand-held devices, information can flow not only from the funding organization's office in New York to the architect, or from the architect to the job site, but from the job site to the architect and READNepal office as well. In this way, communication is improved and the architecture has the potential to be more localized. Power is distributed and knowledge flows not only from top-to-bottom, but from bottom-to-top, from day laborer in rural Nepal to architect in Kathmandu to New York office worker.The thesis offers not a concrete solution but rather an understanding that while potential exists, there is much more to be done to bridge the gap that exists between clients, architects, and constructors in societies where gaps exist between those who have access to high technology and those who do not.
Department of Architecture

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Vuppuluri, Prem Kiran. "Impact of Sustainable Cool Roof Technology on Building Energy Consumption." PDXScholar, 2014. http://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/1530.

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Highly reflective roofing systems have been analyzed over several decades to evaluate their ability to meet sustainability goals, including reducing building energy consumption and mitigating the urban heat island. Studies have isolated and evaluated the effects of climate, surface reflectivity, and roof insulation on energy savings, thermal load mitigation and also ameliorating the urban heat island. Other sustainable roofing systems, like green-roofs and solar panels have been similarly evaluated. The motivation for the present study is twofold: the first goal is to present a method for simultaneous evaluation and inter-comparison of multiple roofing systems, and the second goal is to quantitatively evaluate the realized heating and cooling energy savings associated with a white roof system compared to the reduction in roof-top heat flux. To address the first research goal a field experiment was conducted at the International Harvester Building located in Portland, OR. Thermal data was collected for a white roof, vegetated roof, and a solar panel shaded vegetated roof, and the heat flux through these roofing systems was compared against a control patch of conventional dark roof membrane. The second research goal was accomplished using a building energy simulation program to determine the impact of roof area and roof insulation on the savings from a white roof, in both Portland and Phoenix. The ratio of cooling energy savings to roof heat flux reduction from replacing a dark roof with a white roof was 1:4 for the month of July, and 1:5 annually in Portland. The COP of the associated chillers ranges from 2.8-4.2, indicating that the ratio of cooling energy savings to heat flux reduction is not accounted for solely by the COP of the chillers. The results of the building simulation indicate that based on energy savings alone, white roofs are not an optimal choice for Portland. The benefits associated with cooling energy savings relative to a black roof are offset by the winter-time penalty, and the net benefit from adopting white roof technology in Portland is small. That said, there are other potential benefits of white roofing such as impact on urban heat islands and roof life that must also be considered.

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Ugursal, Ahmet. "The effects of human behavior and information-transmitting medium on the library building typology." Virtual Press, 2005. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/1318943.

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Technological advancements in the second half of the century have significantly affected academic library institution. Libraries are undergoing a transition period and constantly updating their system to adapt to those advancements. However, library building is slow to adapt to the changes. This study examines those changes in academic libraries and buildings based on two main variables. namely human beings. and the medium. through which the information is transmitted The invention of first. electronic, and then digital systems significantly changed these two variables. The resulting library building is shaped by the new human Behavior and the form of information-mediums in a technology-oriented environment. The result of this study is 'five governing principles,' which explain the position of those two variables in a complex web of relations created by technological advancements. The same principles also explain the role of different variables in the future of the library building typology.
Department of Architecture

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Brigham, Martin Patrick. "The organisation of technology and the technology of organisation : the Vehicle Mounted Data System and the provision of UK fire services." Thesis, University of Warwick, 2005. http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/1184/.

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Social and organisation theorists have become increasingly interested in studying information and communication technologies over the last two decades. This thesis examines how information and communication technologies are organised, and what is organised by information and communication technologies. The thesis contributes to the interest in detailed studies of information and communication technology through an analysis of the implementation and deployment of a mobile data system-the Vehicle Mounted Data System (VMDS)-by firefighters, fire crews and officers at a United Kingdom fire brigade. This thesis examines what becomes of the Vehicle Mounted Data System when it is introduced into a UK fire brigade. This includes an exposition of how recurring issues including the boundaries of the brigade, what is meant by standardisation and risk, what counts as information, and what is understood by devolved incident management is reordered as the VMDS becomes a constitutive part of the problematic fire service provision. The VMDS is bound up with reality constituting effects and this means that what is meant by technology and organisation becomes an important topic of scholarly study. This thesis develops a non-essentialist ontology of technology and organisation-an ontological turn in organisation theory. It is argued that the VMDS is a relational effect that is aligned with existing boundaries and assumptions at Hereford and Worcester Fire Brigade, that the VMDS is a multiple object that is a mutable mobile and is deployed not only to manage safety at incidents but also for managing performance and organisational flexibility, and that the instabilities of the VMDS are responded to ambivalently by various actors as they are enrolled in the collective upkeep of the VMDS. In analysing the Vehicle Mounted Data System a range of analytical resources are drawn upon, including, most significantly, actor-network theory, but also the writings of Deleuze and Guattari. The thesis concludes with a discussion of the politics of theory and suggests that researchers would remain faithful to their intellectual tradition and a sense of critical and creative purpose if they engaged with and helped to construct the heterogeneous ways in which technological devices such as the Vehicle Mounted Data System transform what organisation theorists understand by organisation.

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Mtya, Amanda. "Evaluation of building information modelling (BIM) adoption, capability and maturity within South African consulting and construction firms." Master's thesis, Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/30916.

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The Construction Industry Indicators (CIIs) continue to reflect a steady growth in the level of client dissatisfaction with the performance of contractors and consultants on construction projects whilst firms in the industry battle for survival. In order to survive in the highly competitive construction market, firms within the industry, need a paradigm shift. To move from traditional project delivery methodologies which continue to yield unsatisfactory results to innovative project delivery methods and practices. With the advancements in computational technologies and processes, the industry needs to move towards integrated, collaborative and computable processes, to increase productivity, efficiency, infrastructure value, quality and sustainability, reduce lifecycle costs, lead times and duplications. Building Information Modelling (BIM) is the innovative project delivery method that helps reduce fragmentation and provides opportunities for enhanced collaboration and distributed project development. BIM is slowly gaining momentum in the South African construction industry. Even though there is an abundance of industry discussions and academic literature professing the ability of BIM methodologies to increase productivity, scholars have found that it has not yet been coupled with the availability of useful metrics, knowledge and tools to reliably measure BIM benefits. Few organisations and individuals have been exposed to some BIM tools whilst many still lack thorough understanding of BIM as a project delivery method. To capture the full benefit of BIM methodologies, firms in project networks must coordinate and develop interoperable business practices and procedures. This study assessed the level of BIM adoption, capability and maturity in consulting and construction firms and evaluated if there were differences in the level of adoption, capability and maturity of BIM between consulting and construction firms. The study also evaluated the relationship between level of BIM maturity and project performance of consulting and construction firms. The study found that there is a statistically significant relationship between the level of BIM capability and project performance. Lastly, the study reports on the current perceived benefits of BIM in the South African construction industry.

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Worden, Kathleen. "BIM and Communication: Implementation of Building Information Modeling into an Integrated Project Delivery contract to encourage project teams to communicate." DigitalCommons@CalPoly, 2016. https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/1619.

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The objective of this thesis is to explore BIM, IPD and their implementation into a building project contract. The Integrated Delivery Processes is comprised of a collaborative team of Designers, Constructors, and Owners working side by side to create a successful project. BIM has been introduced as a technology into the industry, as a tool that these parties can use for better understanding the project. Through case studies of IPD projects using BIM are observed, it was determined that although BIM was used, one problem faced is the lack of BIM standards included initially in a contract for in an IPD project. There are templates available by the AIA, AGC, and USACE, but they are not all standalone documents. A guideline for the parities to discuss will be introduced as conversation piece that would help segue into what might be included in the contract documents.

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Rees, Marc. "The integrated design of new build multi vector energy supply schemes." Thesis, Cardiff University, 2012. http://orca.cf.ac.uk/40011/.

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Future energy supply infrastructure schemes for the built environment are set to consist of a diverse mix of distributed generation technologies, increasingly stringent local emissions reduction targets, and potentially complex ownership structures. This thesis presents a new modelling method that integrates technical design, green house gas emissions analysis and financial analysis models for new build multi energy vector systems. The model was used to compare and characterise several alternative heating technology options for the carbon constrained design of a generic UK market town residential development. Of the options examined, natural gas combined heat and power based district heating was shown to provide the least cost solution for projects built before 2020. Beyond 2025, electric heat pumps provided the cheapest option in response to the decarbonisation of the grid supplied electricity. The integrated model was used as the basis of an optimised infrastructure design tool. This was applied to determine the least cost energy supply technology mix for a new build community redevelopment scheme at Ebbw Vale, South Wales. It was shown that both the optimal design and corresponding optimal cost is dependent upon the year of build completion for the project and the

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Jerome, Adeline. "Integration of LCA into the building design process." Thesis, KTH, Hållbara byggnader, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-251814.

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The required estimation of performances of a building cannot be limited to its energy efficiency anymore. Environmental issues are rising concerns into national policies. However, information about construction products is still segmented into several distinct databases: the construction company gathered data for its design process into private pricing databases while environmental declarations from manufacturers are available in a public database. The interconnection of the different information about the same product is difficult because of the difference of data formatting and representation. The objective of this project was to provide first tools to facilitate this interconnection between the design process of the company and environmental data, considering incoming requirements from the new thermal regulation of 2020. This led to the creation of a SQL environmental database, based on environmental declarations, more adapted for statistical analysis than a document-based database. Specific data management functions were also developed to homogenise unit representation and to spot product performances for the purpose of multi-criteria analysis of products Finally, an estimation of the distinctiveness of products through a selection of key words was tested. The comparison of lists of words provided good performances for their classification into a limited number of lots. But it is not sufficient to identify items that can be related to the same construction product. So further works is needed into the creation of a semantic metric model of construction vocabulary.

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Wingårdh, Ludvig. "Construction of prefabricated concrete buildings : A comparative attributional LCA." Thesis, KTH, Hållbar utveckling, miljövetenskap och teknik, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-299525.

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This master thesis investigated the influence of prefabrication rate of buildings on the embodied environmental impacts. Through a comparative attributional LCA four different Swedish buildings were investigated to explore the influence of PR on the environmental impacts in the categories Cumulative Energy Demand, Global Warming Potential, Water Consumption, Fossil Resource Scarcity, and Mineral Resource Scarcity. The reference buildings had prefabricated rates of 14, 26, 38 and 91%. The results indicate that a higher prefabricated rate (PR) can lead to a lower impact in these categories to some extent; mainly due to a lower amount of total concrete material per square meter, dependent on the construction method used. The most influential materials in the comparison where cement and steel. An initial improvement of several impacts was seen when the PR of concrete buildings increased from 14% to 38%, with one reason being increased material efficiency of concrete. When further increasing PR, it is not certain that impacts necessarily continue to improve, as no clear difference was shown between the buildings with PR of 91% and 38%. This seems to point towards that any clear relationship between PR and the chosen impact categories breaks down or flattens out for higher prefabricated rates, and that the most beneficial solution often could be a semi-prefabricated construction method. This is concurrent with previous results in the current body of literature on LCA of construction and prefabricated rates. Instead, for additional reduction of environmental impacts after this point, other factors such as material choice and could become increasingly important. Additionally, the question of which impact category to prioritize arises.
Denna masteruppsats undersöker betydelsen av andelen prefabricerad betong i byggnader och dess påverkan på den inbyggda miljöpåverkan. En jämförande bokförings-LCA gjordes av fyra svenska referensbyggnader för att undersöka prefabrikationsgradens inverkan i fem kategorier av miljöpåverkan: kumulativ energiförbrukning, global uppvärmning, vattenförbrukning, och förbrukning av minerala och fossila naturresurser. Referensbyggnaderna hade prefabricerade andelar av 14, 26, 38 och 91%. Resultaten indikerar att en högre grad av prefabricering kan leda till en lägre påverkan i de undersökta kategorierna i viss mån, inte minst på grund av en lägre total förbrukning av betong per kvadratmeter BTA, beroende på vilken konstruktionsmetod som används. De mest betydelsefulla råmaterialen fanns vara cement och stål. En initial förbättring i flertalet kategorier syntes när prefabrikationsgraden ökade från 14 till 38%, mycket tack vare den lägre betongförbrukningen. När prefabrikationsgraden steg ytterligare till 91% syntes ingen tydlig förbättring, och det kan inte anses klarlagt att en högre prefabrikationsgrad nödvändigtvis har lägre miljöpåverkan. Detta indikerar att den mest fördelaktiga lösningen ofta kan vara en semi-prefabricerad lösning, vilket överensstämmer med resultaten i tidigare studier på området. För ytterligare reducering av miljöpåverkan efter en viss grad av prefabricering framstår andra faktorer såsom materialval som allt viktigare.

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Miller, Wendy. "Design, Construction and Performance of Australian Sustainable Homes: Subtropical Case Studies." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2012. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/107519/1/__qut.edu.au_Documents_StaffHome_StaffGroupR%24_rogersjm_Desktop_Wendy%20Miller%20Thesis.pdf.

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Housing is a critical national asset that underpins Australians’ economic,social and environmental well-being. On the one hand, a house can be a reflection of personal aspirations, world views, lifestyles and social and economic status, and collectively housing is a reflection of national and regional cultural values and standard of living. On the other hand, housing also significantly impacts economic, social and environmental sustainability at personal, regional, national and international levels. If housing,individually and collectively, is to become ‘sustainable’, we need to be able to define, deliver and evaluate a ‘sustainable house’ as a product, a process and a place to live. Very little is known about a sustainable house as an environmentally sound technology and as an integrated system. Little is known about the perspectives and experiences of end-users and their possible role in the diffusion of this technology into the market. The objective of this research was to investigate the complex nature of sustainable housing in an Australian context through an examination of the experiences of end users who are early adopters of contemporary, sustainable homes in subtropical south-east Queensland. The aim was to evaluate these experiences in relation to consideration of a sustainable house as a complex integrated system comprised of the product and its subsystems, the process of product design and delivery, the performance outcomes of the product, and the impact of the product and processes on the end-users. The results show that, for these end-users, a sustainable house embraces the collective and integrated aspects of environmental protection, resource management and social wellbeing. This product is an expression of personal and social identity and enables and supports its inhabitants in living sustainably. The urban context, regulation and multiple supply chain agents affected both sustainability aspirations and outcomes. The findings of the study reinforce the concept of a sustainable house as an integrated system that is centered on end-user goals and aspirations, specific building elements and subsystems, design and construction processes and practices, and the urban context. These interactions take place within the context of multiple supply chain agents. The performance outcomes of this integrated product are reliant on not only an integrated systems approach, but also on good communication and robust decision making processes between and amongst the multiple supply chain agents. These research findings have implications for the development and refinement of regulatory instruments and for strategies and measures currently used in the housing market. This study makes a substantial contribution to the field by providing new knowledge in relation to family experiences of the design and construction processes that resulted in the completion of their sustainable homes; their practices in the occupation of these homes; and the post-construction environmental performance of these homes. This new knowledge adds clarity with respect to how end-users define and value a sustainable house, and quantifies to some extent the impact that a sustainable house has on family economic, social and environmental sustainability. The current study modifies the conceptual framework for sustainability in the construction industry (Sev, 2008) by developing and applying a framework for defining and evaluating a sustainable house. Innovation diffusion theory is applied to a sustainable house as an integrated system and as an environmentally sound technology, utilizing the experiences of early adopter families to identify and evaluate market diffusion barriers. Building on existing knowledge about barriers to the diffusion of environmental technologies, this study provides clear characterization of the barriers early-adopter families face in seeking sustainable homes in the form of a Taxonomy of barriers to a sustainable house. The taxonomy provides insight into ways in which these barriers might be addressed by research, regulation and the market to enable more rapid diffusion of sustainable housing as a positive response to environmental, social and economic challenges.

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McLeod, Robert S. "An investigation into the performance of low energy and zero carbon buildings in a changing climate : applying the Passivhaus house standard to the UK context." Thesis, Cardiff University, 2013. http://orca.cf.ac.uk/56966/.

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Energy consumption and Green House Gas (GHG) emissions from the UK built environment are reflective of the wider situation across Europe, where according to the Energy Performance in Buildings Directive (EPBD) "buildings account for 40% of total energy consumption in the Union" (European Commission, 2010). In December 2006 the UK Government announced a rapid transition to 'zero carbon' new buildings, as a key step forward in reducing GHG emissions from the domestic and non-domestic sectors (DCLG, 2006a; Weaver, 2007). The Passivhaus standard is the fastest growing energy performance standard in the world and in a growing number of regions across Europe it has been implemented as a mandatory minimum standard for all new buildings (iPHA, 2013). This thesis investigates the applicability of this low energy standard to the UK context, in comparison to conventional alternatives, by examining four inter-related themes: (i) in relation to climate change policy and the UK Government's plan for all new homes to be zero carbon from 2016; (ii) by addressing the limitations of the climate data currently used to design Passivhaus buildings, and developing a new methodology for creating higher resolution probabilistic climate data; (iii) by exploring the uncertainty about the future performance of Passivhaus dwellings in relation to future overheating risk and thereby proposing methods to improve whole life design optimization; (iv) by investigating the hygrothermal implications for new build and retrofit Passivhaus projects and highlighting areas where current risk assessment methods are inadequate. This thesis has argued that the transfer of the Passivhaus standard, or any advanced energy performance standard, from one country or region to another should be accompanied by an extensive programme of context specific research and application testing. The findings of this research have shown that the implementation of the Passivhaus standard, in its present format, in the UK is not without risk and uncertainty. This thesis concludes that that the majority of such risks can be substantially mitigated, through the incorporation of high resolution probabilistic climatic data, transient hygrothermal assessments and global sensitivity analysis techniques. The energy saving and thermal comfort potential of the Passivhaus approach have been shown to be substantial and therefore merit the challenges involved in addressing its successful implementation.

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Barrett, John Richard. "Sustainability and the ecological footprint : comparing human demand with nature's supply." Thesis, Liverpool John Moores University, 2000. http://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/5529/.

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There is a growing concern that current levels of economic activity have outgrown the physical limits of the planet. In the face of global constraints, humanity continues to deplete nature, through resource harvesting and waste generation, faster than nature can regenerate itself. The UN World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) introduced the idea of sustainable development in 1987, with the release of Our Common Future. Sustainable development has since become a powerful and controversial theme, creating seemingly impossible goals for policy makers. Sustainable indicators can be a key mechanism for encouraging progress in the right direction by providing a measuring tool that gives a clearer understanding as to whether sustainability is being achieved. The ecological footprint has emerged as an innovative technique to measure the ecological dimension of sustainability. The research tests the ecological footprint as a tool for guiding humanity towards sustainability. The research establishes whether or not the ecological footprint provides an effective accounting framework for the biophysical services that a given society requires from nature. With Guernsey as the case study, the research investigates whether or not the ecological footprint is a comprehensive tool for local policy decision-making. Considering the methodology of the ecological footprint, its use for time series analysis and the development of scenarios does this. The ecological footprint is also tested for its ability to act as a tool to communicate the ideas of sustainability. In conclusion, while containing some limitations, the ecological footprint is a tool that can facilitate the comparison of policy choices society inevitably must face. At the local level, the ecological footprint is a valuable part of the sustainable indicator tool kit. The use of the ecological footprint as a communication tool for sustainable development is invaluable. It is an indicator that can be understood by the general public and one that links individual lifestyle choices to global environmental problems. The ecological footprint is only an empirical tool and in itself cannot change anything. It is a first step in a process of change and the political will and desire to change must be the driving force. Its great advantage over other sustainability indicators is that it is holistic and makes connections between different activities and impacts. However, the ecological footprint is based on assumptions as the ratios/equations calculated by others. In conclusion, the ecological footprint demonstrates that intelligent rationalisation of means and prudent moderation of ends is the only solution. By providing common ground, the ecological footprint builds bridges between different worldviews and amplifies the resonance between all disciplines working on sustainability.

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Hou, Shangjie. "An ontology-based holistic approach for multi-objective sustainable structural design." Thesis, Cardiff University, 2015. http://orca.cf.ac.uk/91138/.

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Building construction industry has significant impact on sustainability. The construction, operation and maintenance of buildings account for approximately 50% of global energy usage and anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In recent years, the embodied energy and carbon are identified increasingly important in terms of sustainability throughout building life cycle. Incorporation of sustainable development in building structural design becomes undoubtedly crucial. The effective building design requires smart and holistic tools that can process multi-objective and inter-connected domain knowledge to provide genuine sustainable buildings. With the advancement of information and communication technologies, various methods and techniques have been applied to accomplish the multiple objectives of sustainable development in building design. One of the most successful approaches is building information modelling (BIM), which requires further enhancement of interoperability. The emergence of Semantic Web technology provides more opportunity to improve the information modelling, knowledge management and system integration. The research presented in this thesis investigates how ontology and Semantic Web rules can be used in a knowledge-based holistic system, in order to integrate information about structural design and sustainability, and facilitate decision-making in design process by recommending appropriate solutions for different use cases. A research prototype namely OntoSCS incorporating OWL ontology and SWRL rules has been developed and tested in typical structural design cases. The holistic approach considers five inter-connected dimensions of sustainability, including structural feasibility, embodied energy and carbon, cost, durability and safety. In addition, the selection of structural material supplier and criteria in sustainability assessment are taken into account as well. This research concludes that the Semantic Web technology can be applied to structural design at early stage to provide multi-criteria optimised solution. The methodology and framework employed in this study can be further adapted as a generic multi-criteria and holistic decision support system for other domains in construction sector.

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Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Automation and technology in building and construction'

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