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1 – 10 of 371
Article
Publication date: 5 April 2019

Ziwei Wang and Ehsan Rezazadeh Azar

Project schedules have a vital role in the effective management of time, cost, scope and resources in construction projects, and creating schedules requires schedulers with…

Abstract

Purpose

Project schedules have a vital role in the effective management of time, cost, scope and resources in construction projects, and creating schedules requires schedulers with construction knowledge and experience. The increase in the complexity of building projects and the emergence of building information modeling (BIM) in the architecture, engineering and construction industry have encouraged researchers to explore BIM capabilities for automated schedule generation. The scope and capabilities of the developed systems, however, are limited and the link between design and scheduling is still underdeveloped. This paper aims to investigate methods to develop a BIM-based framework to automatically generate schedules for concrete-framed buildings.

Design/methodology/approach

This system first extracts the required data from the building information model, including elements’ dimensions, quantities, spatial information, materials and other related attributes. It then applies construction rules, prior knowledge and production rate data to create project work-packages, calculate their durations and determine their relationships. Finally, it organizes these results into a schedule using project management software.

Findings

This system provides an automated and easy-to-use approach to generate schedules for concrete-framed buildings that are modeled in a BIM platform. It provides two schedules for each project, both a sequential and an overlapped solution, which the schedulers can modify into a practical schedule based on conditions and available resources.

Originality/value

This research project presents an innovative approach to use BIM-based attributes of structural elements to develop list of work-packages and estimate their durations, and then it uses a combination of rule-based and case-based reasoning to generate the schedules.

Article
Publication date: 1 June 2005

Elcin Tas and Hakan Yaman

The objectives of this paper are to discuss the constraints stemming from the unstructured nature of the cost estimation practice in Turkey and introduce a generic computer aided…

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Abstract

Purpose

The objectives of this paper are to discuss the constraints stemming from the unstructured nature of the cost estimation practice in Turkey and introduce a generic computer aided building cost estimation model based on a cost significant technique for Turkish construction sector public projects in its detailed design phase.

Design/methodology/approach

The research design was based on the simplified version of the bill of quantities method and a cost significant estimating model works on a cost database was suggested to overcome the problems. Underlying principles and basic steps of cost estimation based on cost significant work packages was explained by means of manual calculations.

Findings

In order to automate the manual building cost estimation process, the software based on cost significant work packages was developed.

Research limitations/implications

The software is currently in the testing phase and is being used for educational purposes. Making use of both public sector and current market prices in the cost estimation process, increasing number of projects stored in the database for more accurate results, estimating costs of different types of projects and calculating the cost significant value factor more precisely by using statistical techniques, those being employed by global cost models are suggested for future research.

Practical implications

As the number of the similar projects in database is increased, the accuracy of the cost estimation is also increased.

Originality/value

Estimators and graduate students can use the software to estimate building cost of public housing projects in its detailed design phase.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 12 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 November 2018

Hao Zhou and Ehsan Rezazadeh Azar

Steel and reinforced concrete are among the most common structural materials used in the construction industry. Cost and the speed of construction have been usually the main…

Abstract

Purpose

Steel and reinforced concrete are among the most common structural materials used in the construction industry. Cost and the speed of construction have been usually the main criteria when selecting a building’s structural system, whereby the environmental impact of the structural material is sometimes ignored. Availability of an easy-to-use tool for environmental assessment of the structural alternatives could encourage this evaluation in the decision making. The purpose of this paper is to introduce an automated tool for the environmental assessment of the on-site construction processes of a building structural system, which calculates the energy consumption and carbon emissions of the structural system as a parameter for comparison.

Design/methodology/approach

This assessment tool is implemented using a building information modeling (BIM) platform to extract structural elements and their key attributes, such as type, geometrical and locational data. These data are processed together with a productivity database to calculate machine hours, and then predefined energy and carbon inventories are used to assess the energy consumption of the structural system in the erection/installation stage.

Findings

This assessment tool provides an automated and easy-to-use approach to estimate energy consumption and carbon emissions of different structural systems that are modeled in a BIM platform. The results of this tool were within the ranges reported by the available studies.

Originality/value

This research project presents a novel approach to use BIM-based attributes of the structural elements to calculate the required efforts, i.e. machine hours, and assess their energy consumption and carbon emissions during construction processes.

Details

Built Environment Project and Asset Management, vol. 9 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2044-124X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 31 August 2012

Greg Foliente and Seongwon Seo

A systematic approach is needed to engage a broad range of stakeholders to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from energy use in the building sector. The purpose of this paper…

Abstract

Purpose

A systematic approach is needed to engage a broad range of stakeholders to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from energy use in the building sector. The purpose of this paper is to develop a systems‐based bottom‐up approach for this purpose, and to demonstrate its application in a case study of office building stock in the State of New South Wales (NSW) in Australia.

Design/methodology/approach

A conceptual framework for the general method is developed based on a cross‐typology matrix of energy consumption and supply on the one hand, and intervention schemes or policy instruments on the other. This is then tested and demonstrated using a case study of commercial office building stock, with building energy demand calculated using a validated computer energy simulation tool for a representative set of office buildings within a local government area (LGA). The energy consumption and associated GHG emissions are then aggregated up from LGA to the whole State. The impact projections of different intervention schemes are compared and mapped spatially across the State.

Findings

Results have demonstrated the significance and capability of the proposed approach, in allowing quantitative comparisons of the relative effectiveness of a specific set of regulatory, technical and behavioral scenario settings on the spatial distribution and trends in energy consumption and GHG emissions of the NSW office building stock to 2020.

Research limitations/implications

Further case studies involving mixed building types and specific building types with greater granularity of modelling details, energy use and supply options, and spatial resolution are needed.

Originality/value

The structured cross‐typology approach is a novel contribution to bottom‐up modelling approaches to designing and/or assessing the effectiveness of specific policy instruments, alone or in combination. It will enable policy makers, property portfolio owners, utility companies and building tenants to assess the broader impacts of their specific actions towards a common goal.

Details

Smart and Sustainable Built Environment, vol. 1 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-6099

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 1996

DAVID G. PROVERBS, PAUL O. OLOMOLAIYE and FRANK C. HARRIS

The results of a model based survey of contractors' planning engineers in France and the UK suggest that planned completion times for constructing an identical high‐rise in situ…

Abstract

The results of a model based survey of contractors' planning engineers in France and the UK suggest that planned completion times for constructing an identical high‐rise in situ concrete framed structure are significantly and dramatically lower in France than in the UK. Average planned construction periods in France were 13 weeks, some 9 weeks faster than the UK average of 22 weeks. Since planned construction periods reflect past experience, French contractors apparently achieve superior levels of production performance whilst at the same time working fewer hours per week, utilizing directly employed workers and employing fewer supervisors. If such planned completion times are truly representative, the findings indicate comparatively poor UK contractor performance, and signify future problems for the British builder in the emerging European marketplace. The causes of such poor performance are complicated, but based on indicative French best practices: production is enhanced when scheduled overtime is avoided, a directly employed and mainly skilled workforce is engaged, and a maximum working time of 40 hours per week is the norm rather than the exception.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 3 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 October 2009

Sara J. Wilkinson and Richard Reed

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the potential for green roof retrofit to commercial buildings in a city centre to property managers and other property professionals.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the potential for green roof retrofit to commercial buildings in a city centre to property managers and other property professionals.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper addresses the research question: what is the potential of existing buildings in the CBD to accommodate a retrofitted green roof? Furthermore, it questions how many buildings are suitable for green roofs? The researchers compile a unique building database incorporating information about 536 commercial buidings and evaluate the potential suitability of each building to undergo a green roof retrofit. Assisted by other commercially available databases and software, the researchers are able to assess each roof based on criteria derived from an extensive literature review.

Findings

A relatively small proportion of roofs are found to be suitable, partly a result of local climate conditions and rainfall patterns, and the physical property stock. On a purely physical assessment, only a very small proportion of CBD stock is found to be suited. These buildings are most likely to be in low secondary locations, ungraded or B grade buildings, privately owned, concrete framed and not overshadowed by adjoining properties.

Practical implications

Property managers and other property professionals can now determine the potential of their portfolio stock for green roof retrofit based on the review of building attributes required for success adaptation in this paper. It possible that greater potential for green roof retrofit exists in the suburbs or regional towns where lower rise buildings may reduce the amount of overshadowing found in city centres. Follow‐up research could focus on a comparison of regional and suburban developments.

Originality/value

This is the first study of its kind and has assessed such a large number of buildings for their suitability for green roof retrofit; the findings provide a reliable guide for policymakers regarding the potential number of city centre buildings which would be possible to retrofit. Such findings should influence policymaking and incentives to target effective sustainability policies with regards to existing buildings.

Details

Property Management, vol. 27 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-7472

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 December 2006

AMR A G Hassanein and Bahaee N L Khalil

The main objective of this study is to initiate general building cost indicators to serve as cost indicators for the construction industry in Egypt. The two models (Egypt 1 and…

Abstract

The main objective of this study is to initiate general building cost indicators to serve as cost indicators for the construction industry in Egypt. The two models (Egypt 1 and Egypt 2 Indices) developed for building the indices in this paper have been derived based on the “Engineering News Record” (ENR) Indices model with modifications to better suit the Egyptian market. Egypt 1 Indices is comprised of three indices which serve as a general cost indicator for the construction industry price movement in Egypt. Egypt 2 Indices is comprised of two indices which serve as a construction cost indicator for the reinforced concrete structures price movement in Egypt. The period analyzed in this research is 11 years (1988 through to 1998). The validation of index numbers produced showed that each index does indeed represent the respective type of building for which it was computed. Further, the analysis of Egypt Indices compared to the ENR Indices revealed that both indices exhibited trends that are generally similar from the year 1992 up to 1998.

Details

Journal of Financial Management of Property and Construction, vol. 11 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1366-4387

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 April 2014

Sara Jane Wilkinson

This paper aims to study the adaptation of low grade commercial buildings for sustainability in Melbourne. Informed adaptation of existing stock is imperative because the…

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to study the adaptation of low grade commercial buildings for sustainability in Melbourne. Informed adaptation of existing stock is imperative because the challenge of attaining sustainable development in the 21st century will be won or lost in urban areas. Local authorities promote adaptation to reduce building related energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The City of Melbourne aims to retrofit 1,200 central business district (CBD) properties before 2020 as part of their carbon-neutral city strategy. Australian cities date from the early 1800s to the present day and the concepts of adaptation and evolution of buildings and suburbs is not as well-developed or entrenched as in other continents. As such, there is a pressing need for greater knowledge and awareness of what happens to buildings over time.

Design/methodology/approach

This research examines all building adaptation from 1998 to 2008 within the Melbourne CBD. This paper concentrates on the question: what is the pattern of adaptation within low grade office buildings over time? Using the Melbourne CBD as a case study, the research analysed all commercial building adaptations in Melbourne. Here a range of office building types are selected and profiled to discover what happened to them during the period and to ascertain what may be learned as a result to inform future adaptation strategies and policies.

Findings

Adaptation of existing buildings is vital to deliver the emission reductions required to transition to carbon-neutral urban settlements. In the short-term, it is opportune to capitalise on existing behaviour patterns in respect of adaptation and to “learn how buildings learn”, rather than seek to instigate major changes in behaviour.

Research limitations/implications

The researcher acknowledges that the depth of analysis for each individual case does not attain levels achieved through a purely qualitative approach to data collection and that this is a limitation of this method of data collection.

Practical implications

Examination of adaptation patterns showed that the events were similar regardless of age or location and typically involved multiple adaptations to separate areas within buildings such as office floors, lobbies and foyers. Such a pattern misses the opportunity to benefit from economies of scale or to incorporate more extensive adaptations to reduce environmental impact of the building as a whole.

Social implications

The patterns of ownership and relatively short-term multiple tenancies compound the piecemeal approach to adaptations in this sector of the market. Moving forward, a more holistic approach is required to optimise adaptation and sustainability benefits and to minimise unnecessary waste.

Originality/value

A real danger is that numerous adaptations over time which may seem “sustainable” within the context of the one adaptation may not be sustainable in the context of the entire building over the whole lifecycle or the city over the long–term, and this is a challenge we must attend to.

Details

Facilities, vol. 32 no. 7/8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-2772

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 January 1996

MUSTAFA ALSHAWI and JASON UNDERWOOD

This study aims at improving the constructability of design solutions by inte grating site construction problems, which are related to the design, with the design's main…

Abstract

This study aims at improving the constructability of design solutions by inte grating site construction problems, which are related to the design, with the design's main functions. A full process analysis was carried out on the design functions of concrete framed office buildings whereby site problems were traced back to the relevant design stages. Design processes that significantly contribute to these problems were highlighted, along with their data flows. An object‐oriented analysis (OOA) method was then applied to model those processes. Proceedings through the five major activities of Coad & Yourdon's OOA method, a complete OOA model was developed. This technique has proved to be very effective in producing a well structured data model with the consequence of being easily mapped into an object‐oriented development environment. An integrated object‐oriented system was also developed, which attempts to use essential design information, at an early stage of the design process, to improve the constructability of the design.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 3 no. 1/2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 May 2014

Marcella Ruschi Mendes Saade, Maristela G. da Silva, Vanessa Gomes, Hawllynsgton Gumez Franco, Dimaghi Schwamback and Blandina Lavor

The purpose of this paper is to propose a set of lifecycle-based indicators to describe material eco-efficiency of buildings normalized per unit of gross floor area (GFA), and at…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose a set of lifecycle-based indicators to describe material eco-efficiency of buildings normalized per unit of gross floor area (GFA), and at verifying feasibility of their calculation for building materials and components, based upon four case studies. The paper also examines the effects that discrepancies between two carbon footprint accounting methods (embodied CO2 (ECO2) vs embodied CO2e) have on communication of environmental performance of selected materials.

Design/methodology/approach

The lifecycle assessments (LCAs) were performed through LCA support platform SimaPro 7.3. Data for materials/components production cycle modeling were collected from primary and secondary data from national literature or adapted from Ecoinvent database. Embodied energy, ECO2, blue water footprint (bWF), non-renewable content and volatile organic compound emissions (VOCe) indicators were calculated from lifecycle inventory (LCI) outputs, while embodied CO2e was calculated using CML 2001 v.2.01 impact assessment method.

Findings

Obtained results suggest that a core database comprised of 12 materials and components – cement, ceramic blocks, steel rebar, sawn timber planks, PVC tubes, plywood, PVC conduits, roof steel structure, roundwood, ceramic tiles, hydrated lime and adhesive mortar – provides a very reasonable description of a building's embodied energy (99.63 percent), embodied CO2e (97.50 percent), bWF (96.26 percent), non-renewable content (97.53 percent) and VOCe (95.38 percent) profiles. Except for bWF of cement and concrete, substantial reductions in the metrics’ values captured environmental advantages of partially substituting ground granulated blast furnace slag (ggbs) for clinker Portland.

Originality/value

The disclosure of embodied energy and carbon, as well as of other environmental performance data at whole-building level (per unit of GFA) pointed out in this paper, allows comparability and helps to establish performance goals and benchmarks and to guide policy decisions. Following a coordinated methodological outline, future works are expected to evolve to gradually constitute a LCI database that enables the use of the proposed metrics and of LCA as decision-making tools in the building sector.

Details

Smart and Sustainable Built Environment, vol. 3 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-6099

Keywords

1 – 10 of 371