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The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the working of the PACT calculation model, a tool to determine office space dimensions. New ways of working (NWoW) seem to have become a fixed value in facility management (FM) practice in The Netherlands today. Stimulated by new technological possibilities, companies are rethinking their office environments to make workplaces more flexible and their use “activity related”. However, this requires a different approach to quantify the needed space and determine the types of workplaces to fit organizations’ processes. The PLaces and ACTivities (PACT) calculation model allows (facility) managers to gain an insight in the number and type of spaces needed, modulated by different scenarios and fitting to the organization and its work processes.

This article mainly aims to present the PACT model: an office space calculation tool. A case study is presented and calculated to compare an actual work environment of an organization to the PACT calculated results. As input for the model, data were used that were available before the work environment changes in 2007. Additionally, one scenario of a different workplace use is calculated which helped to visualize the accuracy and validity of the model.

When comparing the post hoc PACT calculated space to the real-life work environment, the number of calculated workplaces and the ratio to the number of employees do not seem to differ strongly. However, substantially less meeting space is calculated by the model, and some elements might require more testing to verify it completely. The scenario calculation shows that the model output changes to adapt to a more flexible work process.

Even though calculation and simulation models for office space are available, the described model puts together many different elements to provide a more holistic calculation. Elements like, for instance, absence, activities and occupational choices are combined.

Rehearsing practical site operations is without doubt one of the most effective methods for minimising planning mistakes, because of the learning that takes place during the rehearsal activity. However, real rehearsal is not a practical solution for on‐site construction activities, as it not only involves a considerable amount of cost but can also have adverse environmental implications. One approach to overcoming this is by the use of virtual rehearsals. The purpose of this paper is to investigate an approach to simulation of the motion of cranes in order to test the feasibility of associated construction sequencing and generate construction schedules for review and visualisation.

The paper describes a system involving two technologies, virtual prototyping (VP) and four‐dimensional (4D) simulation, to assist construction planners in testing the sequence of construction activities when mobile cranes are involved. The system consists of five modules, comprising input, database, equipment, process and output, and is capable of detecting potential collisions. A real‐world trial is described in which the system was tested and validated.

Feedback from the planners involved in the trial indicated that they found the system to be useful in its present form and that they would welcome its further development into a fully automated platform for validating construction sequencing decisions.

The tool has the potential to provide a cost‐effective means of improving construction planning. However, it is limited at present to the specific case of crane movement under special consideration.

This paper presents a large‐scale, real life case of applying VP technology in planning construction processes and activities.

The purpose of this paper is to achieve optimal climbing control of the gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) robot, as the authors know that the GIS inspection robot is a kind of artificial intelligent mobile equipment which auxiliary or even substitute human labor drive on the inner wall of the gas-insulated metal enclosed switchgear. The GIS equipment fault inspection and maintenance can be realized through the robot manipulator on the mobile platform and the camera carried on the fuselage, and it is a kind of intelligent equipment for operation. To realize the inspection and operation of the GIS equipment pipeline without blind spots, the robot is required to be able to travel on any wall inside the pipeline, especially the top of the pipeline and both right and left sides of the pipeline, which requires the flexible climbing of the GIS inspection robot. The robot device has a certain adsorption function to ensure that the robot is fully attached to the wall surface. At the same time, the robot manipulator can be used for collision-free obstacle avoidance operation planning in the narrow operation space inside the GIS equipment.

The above two technologies are the key that the robot completes the GIS equipment inspections. Based on this, this paper focuses on modeling and analysis of the chassis adsorption characteristics for the GIS inspection robot. At the same time, the Denavit Hartenberg (D-H) coordinate model of the robot arm system has been established, and the kinematics forward and inverse solutions of the robot manipulator system have been derived.

The reachable working space point cloud diagram of the robot manipulator in MATLAB has been obtained based on the kinematics analysis, and the operation trajectory planning of the robot manipulator using the robot toolbox has been obtained. The simulation results show that the robot manipulator system can realize the movement without collision and obstacle avoidance. The space can cover the entire GIS pipeline so as to achieve no blind area operation.

Finally, the GIS inspection robot physical prototype system has been developed through system integration design, and the inspection, maintenance operation experiment has been carried out in the actual GIS equipment. The entire robot system can complete the GIS equipment inspection operation soundly and improve the operation efficiency. The research in this paper has important theoretical significance and practical application value for the optimization design and practical research of the GIS inspection robot system.

In the paper, “TV‐trackmeter”, a stereoscopic measuring system developed by Tecnomare, is presented, some recent innovations and upgrading are described, and its reliable use in hostile environments proved. The latest release of the device implements highlighted featuring capabilities such as 3D measuring, automatic mapping, false colour depth‐maps, geometric modelling, multi‐point tracking, recording/retrieving of stereo pair images, and use of new and more powerful hardware. A theoretical introduction to the operating mode of a stereoscopic device, followed by an error propagation analysis is included. A brief description is also given of the accuracy of the device, i.e. pose detection (position and attitude estimation) of the scene objects. An evaluation of the tracking speed capability is provided. Some examples are shown of trials carried out within a nuclear power plant and underwater. Two further applications for this system are described.

HIGH vacuum engineering has made rapid strides within the last decade for applications within many branches of science and engineering, including metallurgy, general engineering, optics, cryogenics, electronics, and, of course, aeronautics and astronautics. It is the aim of this article to describe briefly the techniques involved in high vacuum engineering and to describe some of the equipment being produced by one of the British companies occupying a leading position in this field—Bir‐Vac Ltd.

The spatial conflicts and congestion of construction resources are challenges that lead to the reduction in efficiency. The purpose of this paper is to enable users to detect and resolve workspace conflicts by implementing four resolution strategies in a five-dimensional (5D) CAD model. In addition to resolving conflicts, the model should be able to optimize time and cost of the projects. In other words, three variables of spatial conflicts, time and cost of project are considered simultaneously in the proposed model to find the optimum solution.

In the first step, a 5D simulation model is developed that includes time, cost and geometrical information of a project. Then, time-cost trade-off analysis was carried out to distinguish optimum schedule. The schedule was imported to the 5D CAD model to detect spatial conflicts. Finally, a novel algorithm was implemented to solve identified conflicts while imposing minimum project’s time and cost. Several iterations are performed to resolve all clashes using conflict resolution algorithm and visual simulation model.

The proposed methodology in this research was applied to a real case. Results showed that in comparison to the normal and initial schedule with 19 conflicts, the finalized schedule has no conflict, while time and cost of the project are both reduced.

Implementing the proposed methodology in construction projects requires proper technical basis in this field. In this regard, the executive user should have a proper understanding of the principles, concepts and tools of building information modeling and have project management knowledge. Also, the implementation conditions of the basic model requires the determination of the construction methods, estimated volumes of working items, scheduling and technical specification. The designed methodology also has two limitations regarding to its implementation. The first is the fact that strategies should be applied manually to the schedule. The other one pertains to the number of strategies used in the research. Four strategies have been used in the conflict resolution algorithm directly and the two others (spatial divisibility and activities breakdown strategies) have been used as default strategies in the visual simulation model. Since the unused strategies including the changing of construction method and the activity resources are subjective and depend upon the planner and project manager’s personal opinion, the authors have avoided using them in this research.

The method proposed in this research contributes the coordination of the working teams at the planning and execution phases of the project. In fact, the best location and work direction for each working team is presented as a schedule, so that the space conflict may not come about and the cost can be minimized. This visual simulation not only deepens the planners’ views about the executive barriers and the spatial conditions of the worksite, it also makes the construction engineers familiar on a daily basis with their executive scope. Therefore, it considerably improves the interactions and communication of the planning and construction teams. Another advantage and application of this methodology is the use of initial and available projects’ documents including the schedule and two-dimensional drawings. The integration of these basic documents in this methodology helps identify the spatial conflicts efficiently. To achieve this, the use of the existing and widely-used construction tools has facilitated the implementation of the methodology. Using this system, planners have applied the strategies in an order of priority and can observe the results of each strategy visually and numerically in terms of time, cost and conflicts. This methodology by providing the effective resolution strategies guides the practitioner to remove conflicts while optimum time and cost are imposed to project.

Contrary to the previous models that ignore cost, the proposed model is a 5D visual simulation model, which considers the variable of cost as a main factor for conflict identification and resolution. Moreover, a forward-pass approach is introduced to implement resolution strategies that are novel compared to other investigations.

Democracy is learned through doing, not telling. The purpose of this paper is to report the findings from an action research project where a group of fourth-grade students participated in a simulation that explored the possibilities and the constraints of acting democratically, while faced with the dilemmas of environmental disaster and establishing a new society.

The authors studied how participating students engaged in deliberations and self-directed inquiry. The authors focused the data collection on the responses of students to the challenges presented in the simulation.

Based on the analysis of student work during the simulation and reflection on the simulation after the project, the authors documented the ways in which students critiqued authority or expressed their distrust in it, engaged in difficult deliberations around controversial issues, and developed expanded agency through inquiry-based learning.

This paper presented a model of inquiry learning that can be critical, i.e. examining issues of power and justice, while engaging in deliberation via a simulation that integrated social studies and English language arts. Creating space for young students to deliberate issues, steeped in values, and ethics, allows them to recognize the inherent tension and dissension necessary to a healthy democracy.

Changes in the physical environments of health care settings have become increasingly common to meet the evolving needs of the health care marketplace, new technologies, and infrastructure demands. Physical environment change takes many forms including new build construction, renovation of existing space, and relocation of units with little to no construction customization. The interrelated nature of the complex socio-technical health care system suggests that even small environmental modifications can result in system-level changes. Environmental modifications can lead to unintended consequences and introduce the potential for latent safety threats. Engaging users throughout the change lifecycle allows for iterative design and testing of system modifications. This chapter introduces a flexible process model, PROcess for the Design of User-Centered Environments (PRODUCE), designed to guide system change. The model was developed and refined across a series of real-world renovations and relocations in a large multihospital health care system. Utilizing the principles of user-centered design, human factors, and in-situ simulation, the model engages users in the planning, testing, and implementation of physical environment change. Case studies presented here offer exemplars of how to modify the model to support individual project objectives and outcomes to assess at each stage of the project.

To model the floorspace demand of office‐based organisations in which employees spend periods of time working at off‐site locations, and identify the scope for efficiency improvements.

The paper compares the experience gained in applying an innovative method of space‐planning in practice, with mathematical simulations of activity‐space scenarios. Both approaches are described.

Experience in practice demonstrates that significant reductions can be made in the floorspace demand of many office‐based organisations, but the simulations show that is not feasible to achieve a perfect activity‐space “fit” when the pattern of activities is uncertain. Space‐time management becomes increasingly critical as office floorspace is used more efficiently.

Shows that there are opportunities for reducing the floorspace demand of most organisations compared to current usage, but there is a limit on achievable efficiency gains.

The growth in flexible working by employees in many office‐based organisations means that workstation sharing at the employer's premises is increasingly attractive. However, because of peaks and troughs in demand it is difficult to decide how many workstations should be provided. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the cost‐effectiveness of alternative workstation sharing strategies.

The study used an agent‐based simulation model with two input variables: the employees' reaction if they are blocked (i.e. they find that all workstations are already occupied), and the number of workstations at the employer's premises. The simulation was run for 56 scenarios. The results were evaluated by assigning cost penalties for workstations, blocking and displacement; there were eight cost regimes reflecting different organisational characteristics.

The simulations showed trade‐offs between the activity and space variables, in terms of utilisation, blocking and displacement. When costs were applied the output of the simulation runs, the most cost‐effective scenarios varied markedly with the different cost regimes.

The variation in optimum strategies with different model input values suggests that cost‐effective workstation sharing strategies must be developed on a case‐by‐case basis. The simplifying assumptions in the model must be considered when applying the findings to real organisations.

Quantified analysis of the cost‐effectiveness of workstation sharing strategies has not been found previously in the literature.