11,674 research outputs found
Multilevel formwork load distribution with posttensioned slabs
No full textFormwork and the associated shoring represent a significant proportion of the costs associated with the construction of multi-level concrete structures. To minimize these costs, a limited number of formwork and shoring sets are recycled up the structure as construction progresses, eliminating the need for a new set of formwork and shoring with each new slab. When a slab is post-tensioned using draped tendons, slab lift occurs as a portion of the slab self-weight is balanced. The formwork and shores supporting that slab are unloaded by an amount equivalent to the load balanced by the post-tensioning. This produces a load distribution through the structure that is inherently different from that of a conventionally reinforced slab. This paper presents two design methods suitable for modeling the multi-level formwork process for post-tensioned slabs: a modification to the simplified analysis method and a finite element model – both techniques will be of immediate use by industry practitioners and of interest to researchers examining the load distribution phenomenon. The paper also summarizes the findings of one of only a few research projects (Kajewski, 1997, 1998) in which actual shore loads were monitored during the construction of a multi-level post-tensioned building, which is used to validate the proposed design models
e-Tendering: Benefits, Challenges and Recommendations for Practice
No full textThe construction industry is categorised as being an information-intensive industry and described as one of the most important industries in any developed country, facing a period of rapid and unparalleled change (Industry Science Resources 1999) (Love P.E.D., Tucker S.N. et al. 1996). Project communications are becoming increasingly complex, with a growing need and fundamental drive to collaborate electronically at project level and beyond (Olesen K. and Myers M.D. 1999; Thorpe T. and Mead S. 2001; CITE 2003). Yet, the industry is also identified as having a considerable lack of knowledge and awareness about innovative information and communication technology (ICT) and web-based communication processes, systems and solutions which may prove beneficial in the procurement, delivery and life cycle of projects (NSW Government 1998; Kajewski S. and Weippert A. 2000). \ud
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The Internet has debatably revolutionised the way in which information is stored, exchanged and viewed, opening new avenues for business, which only a decade ago were deemed almost inconceivable (DCITA 1998; IIB 2002). In an attempt to put these ‘new avenues of business’ into perspective, this paper provides an overall ‘snapshot’ of current public and private construction industry sector opportunities and practices in the implementation and application of e-Tendering. This paper identifies the benefits and challenges to the adoption of e-Tender systems and considers future industry trends and recommendations
Service-oriented models for audiovisual content storage
No full textWhat are the important topics to understand if involved with storage services to hold digital audiovisual content? This report takes a look at how content is created and moves into and out of storage; the storage service value networks and architectures found now and expected in the future; what sort of data transfer is expected to and from an audiovisual archive; what transfer protocols to use; and a summary of security and interface issues
Green office interiors in Australia : lessons learnt
No full textIn 2003, the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) launched their Green Star rating tools for various types of buildings in order to promote green building practice in Australia. Of these, the Green Star-Office Interior rating tool is designed for building owners, tenants and interior designers to assess the environmental impact of an interior fitout. It covers a number of categories, including Management, Indoor Environment Quality, Energy, Transport, Water, Materials, Land Use and Ecology, Emissions, and Innovation. This paper reviews the usage of the Green Star system in Australian office tenancy fitouts and the potential challenges associated with Green Star-Office Interior implementation. This involves the analysis of score sheets of 66 office interior projects across Australia that achieved Green Star certification. The percentage of green star points obtained within each category and sub-categories (credits) for each project are investigated to illustrate the achievement of credits. The results show that Emission-related credits and Innovation related credits are the easiest and most difficult respectively to obtain. It is also found that 6 Green Star office interior projects perform especially better in the categories of Energy and Ecology than 4 and 5 Star projects. The investigation of point frequency in each category provides prospective Green Star applicants with insights into credit achievement for future projects
Post-tensioning and its effect on multi-level formwork load distribution
No full textMulti-level concrete buildings requrre substantial temporary formwork\ud
structures to support the slabs during construction. The primary function of\ud
this formwork is to safely disperse the applied loads so that the slab being\ud
constructed, or the portion of the permanent structure already constructed, is\ud
not overloaded. Multi-level formwork is a procedure in which a limited\ud
number of formwork and shoring sets are cycled up the building as\ud
construction progresses. In this process, each new slab is supported by a\ud
number of lower level slabs. The new slab load is, essentially, distributed to\ud
these supporting slabs in direct proportion to their relative stiffness.\ud
When a slab is post-tensioned using draped tendons, slab lift occurs as a\ud
portion of the slab self-weight is balanced. The formwork and shores\ud
supporting that slab are unloaded by an amount equivalent to the load\ud
balanced by the post-tensioning. This produces a load distribution inherently\ud
different from that of a conventionally reinforced slab.\ud
Through , theoretical modelling and extensive on-site shore load\ud
measurement, this research examines the effects of post-tensioning on multilevel\ud
formwork load distribution. The research demonstrates that the load\ud
distribution process for post-tensioned slabs allows for improvements to\ud
current construction practice. These enhancements include a shortening of\ud
the construction period; an improvement in the safety of multi-level\ud
form work operations; and a reduction in the quantity of form work materials\ud
required for a project.\ud
These enhancements are achieved through the general improvement in\ud
safety offered by post-tensioning during the various formwork operations.\ud
The research demonstrates that there is generally a significant improvement\ud
in the factors of safety over those for conventionally reinforced slabs. This\ud
improvement in the factor of safety occurs at all stages of the multi-level\ud
formwork operation. The general improvement in the factors of safety with\ud
post-tensioned slabs allows for a shortening of the slab construction cycle\ud
time. Further, the low level of load redistribution that occurs during the\ud
stripping operations makes post-tensioned slabs ideally suited to reshoring\ud
procedures. Provided the overall number of interconnected levels remains\ud
unaltered, it is possible to increase the number of reshored levels while\ud
reducing the number of undisturbed shoring levels without altering the\ud
factors of safety, thereby, reducing the overall quantity of formwork and\ud
shoring materials
Social and cultural drivers of incentive effectiveness in infrastructure projects
No full textFormal incentives systems aim to encourage improved performance by offering a reward for the achievement of project-specific goals. Despite argued benefits of incentive systems on project delivery outcomes, there remains debate over how incentive systems can be designed to encourage the formation of strong project relationships within a complex social system such as an infrastructure project. This challenge is compounded by the increasing emphasis in construction management research on the important mediating influence of technical and organisational context on project performance. In light of this challenge, the research presented in this paper focuses on the design of incentive systems in four infrastructure projects: two road reconstructions in the Netherlands and two building constructions in Australia. Based on a motivational theory frame, a cross case analysis is conducted to examine differences and similarities across social and cultural drivers impacting on the effectiveness of the incentive systems in light of infrastructure project context. Despite significant differences in case project characteristics, results indicate the projects’ experience similar social drivers impacting on incentive effectiveness. Significant value across the projects was placed on: varied performance goals and multiple opportunities to across the project team to pursue incentive rewards; fair risk allocation across contract parties; value-driven tender selection; improved design-build integration; and promotion of future work opportunities. However, differences across the contexts were identified. Results suggest future work opportunities were a more powerful social driver in upholding reputation and establishing strong project relationships in the Australian context. On the other hand, the relationship initiatives in the Dutch context seemed to be more broadly embraced resulting in a greater willingness to collaboratively manage project risk. Although there are limitations with this research in drawing generalizations across two sets of case projects, the results provide a strong base to explore the social and cultural influences on incentive effectiveness across different geographical and contextual boundaries in future research.Real Estate and HousingArchitecture and The Built Environmen
Online remote construction management: literature review
No full textComputer application within construction companies began little more than a decade\ud
after the first electronic computer was built (1950s). It seemed like a promising start\ud
when breakthrough computer-based project management techniques such as the\ud
critical path method (CPM) moved quickly into the construction industry. Now that the\ud
construction industry is in its fourth decade of computer applications things have been\ud
changing more rapidly. With an economic force generated by a technology moving as\ud
rapidly as that of the computer, change is inevitable. (Boyd and Paulson, 1995)\ud
There is a need for the expansion of construction IT into an ‘industry-wide supporting\ud
tool for change’. This expansion will help prevent the existing fragmentation between\ud
sub-sectors and/or levels in the industry, to be ‘compounded’. The collective and\ud
concerted application of construction IT may provide one consistent feature in\ud
construction practices, which supports the development of a changed and changing\ud
construction industry.\ud
The Australian construction industry can make a competitive mark in the global\ud
construction market by taking full advantage of IT, enabling it to operate as a seamless\ud
single source supplier of innovative construction solutions. Tendering, procurement, ecommerce\ud
and virtual project teams will become a reality, changing the way the\ud
construction industry will conduct its business operations by influencing designs,\ud
products, materials, project management and relationships with clients and\ud
competitors. (Industry Science Resources, 1999)\ud
Due to the fragmented nature of the construction industry, however, no single\ud
organisation within the industry can dictate or be held responsible for establishing and\ud
maintaining the necessary communication networks required for a construction project.\ud
In an industry as 'information-intensive' as that of the construction industry, where\ud
creating and sharing of information is inevitable, time is still wasted in locating it. The\ud
construction industry is therefore forced to accommodate an ‘ineffective communication\ud
and information process’ that has been proven to contribute to project cost and time\ud
overruns. (Love, et al. 1996)\ud
This report represents a literature review of ‘Information Technology and the\ud
Construction Industry’, as required under the various Online Remote Construction\ud
Management QUT/Industry Partner agreements. The literature review presents a\ud
‘state-of-the-art’ report into current industry practices and current research directions.\ud
Section 1 of this report provides an introduction to the Australian construction industry.\ud
Section 2 presents the Online Remote Construction Management (ORCM) project\ud
outlining the project’s aims, objectives, research significance and activities. Section 3\ud
identifies problems associated with documentation and communication in the\ud
construction industry and examines the role of information technology (IT) in\ud
overcoming these challenges. Section 4 examines national and international research\ud
projects pertaining to the construction industry and its current level of information\ud
technology (IT) adoption, application and implementation. The issues associated with\ud
planning and implementing information technology in to organisations is reviewed in\ud
Section 5. Identified advantages, disadvantages and the drivers and barriers to IT\ud
implementation are reviewed in Section 6.\ud
\ud
The primary purpose of this report is informative and is to be viewed as a 'stand-alone'\ud
report. It provides an international perspective and overview, of previous and/or\ud
continuing state-of-the-art information technology (IT) research being undertaken and\ud
its application and/or implementation within the construction industry. The literature\ud
review does not present a detailed examination of e-commerce in general although\ud
many of the issues presently being faced by general business such as security,\ud
encryption and interoperability, will be reflected in the construction industry. These, and\ud
other such issues, will be highlighted in future reports as their impact within the\ud
construction industry is identified
Online Remote Construction Management: A State-of-the-Art Report
No full textComputer application within construction companies began little more than a decade after the first electronic computer was built (1950s). It seemed like a promising start when breakthrough computer-based project management techniques such as the critical path method (CPM) moved quickly into the construction industry. Now that the construction industry is in its fourth decade of computer applications things have been changing more rapidly. With an economic force generated by a technology moving as rapidly as that of the computer, change is inevitable. (Boyd and Paulson, 1995) \ud
\ud
There is a need for the expansion of construction IT into an ‘industry-wide supporting tool for change’. This expansion will help prevent the existing fragmentation between sub-sectors and/or levels in the industry, to be ‘compounded’. The collective and concerted application of construction IT may provide one consistent feature in construction practices, which supports the development of a changed and changing construction industry. \ud
\ud
The Australian construction industry can make a competitive mark in the global construction market by taking full advantage of IT, enabling it to operate as a seamless single source supplier of innovative construction solutions. Tendering, procurement, e-commerce and virtual project teams will become a reality, changing the way the construction industry will conduct its business operations by influencing designs, products, materials, project management and relationships with clients and competitors. (Industry Science Resources, 1999)\ud
\ud
Due to the fragmented nature of the construction industry, however, no single organisation within the industry can dictate or be held responsible for establishing and maintaining the necessary communication networks required for a construction project. In an industry as 'information-intensive' as that of the construction industry, where creating and sharing of information is inevitable, time is still wasted in locating it. The construction industry is therefore forced to accommodate an ‘ineffective communication and information process’ that has been proven to contribute to project cost and time overruns. (Love, et al. 1996)\ud
\ud
This report represents a literature review of ‘Information Technology and the Construction Industry’, as required under the various Online Remote Construction Management QUT/Industry Partner agreements. The literature review presents a ‘state-of-the-art’ report into current industry practices and current research directions. \ud
\ud
Section 1 of this report provides an introduction to the Australian construction industry. Section 2 presents the Online Remote Construction Management (ORCM) project outlining the project’s aims, objectives, research significance and activities. Section 3 identifies problems associated with documentation and communication in the construction industry and examines the role of information technology (IT) in overcoming these challenges. Section 4 examines national and international research projects pertaining to the construction industry and its current level of information technology (IT) adoption, application and implementation. The issues associated with planning and implementing information technology in to organisations is reviewed in Section 5. Identified advantages, disadvantages and the drivers and barriers to IT implementation are reviewed in Section 6.\ud
\ud
The primary purpose of this report is informative and is to be viewed as a 'stand-alone' report. It provides an international perspective and overview, of previous and/or continuing state-of-the-art information technology (IT) research being undertaken and its application and/or implementation within the construction industry. The literature review does not present a detailed examination of e-commerce in general although many of the issues presently being faced by general business such as security, encryption and interoperability, will be reflected in the construction industry. These, and other such issues, will be highlighted in future reports as their impact within the construction industry is identified
Value mapping for urban infrastructure projects: mapping project outcomes to corporate objectives
No full textCurrent research, in conjunction with the Cooperative Research Centre for Construction Innovation (Australia), is investigating the role of greater corporate responsibility in the provision of urban infrastructure projects. This paper reports on doctoral research which is enabling project teams to better identify and align project objectives with corporate objectives, thus assisting in managing future risk and possible ecological and social harm.\ud
The research methodology in use is based on Checkland's soft system methodology, engaging in action-research with Brisbane City Council (Australia) on three case study projects. Key findings of the collaborative case studies include:\ud
• Linking project objectives to corporate objectives provides greater decision-making transparency; increased rigor in establishing objectives; and greater awareness of project opportunities.\ud
• Using an iterative process to identify the project's stakeholder footprint and accountabilities, at the pre-feasibility phase, can better inform the subsequent project phases.\ud
• Developing project indicators, measureables and targets, linked to corporate objectives can enhance decision-making transparency and communication
AC-6-U.S. Naval Planes Flying in Formation, Langley Field, VA/Thank-You Card from Stephen Tury to the Hungarian Defense Council.
No full textThis postcard, which depicts U.S. Naval planes flying in formation, was sent to the Hungarian Defense Council by Private Stephen Tury. The Council was organized in New Brunswick by leaders of local Hungarian churches and societies. During the Second World War it sent supplies, such as the carton of cigarettes Tury is thanking it for, to members of the military of Hungarian descent from the New Brunswick area
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