Cost estimation for electric light and power elements during building design

2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 190-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ajibade A. Aibinu ◽  
Dharma Dassanayake ◽  
Toong-Khuan Chan ◽  
Ram Thangaraj
Keyword(s):  
Regression Models ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Viable Alternative ◽  
Design Stage ◽  
Medium Size ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Ann Modeling ◽  
Covered Area ◽  
Ann Models ◽  
The Cost

Purpose – The study reported in this paper proposed the use of artificial neural networks (ANN) as viable alternative to regression for predicting the cost of building services elements at the early stage of design. The purpose of this paper is to develop, test and validate ANN models for predicting the costs of electrical services components. Design/Methodology/Approach – The research is based on data mining of over 200 building projects in the office of a medium size electrical contractor. Of the over 200 projects examined, 71 usable data were found and used for the ANN modeling. Regression models were also explored using IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences Statistics Software 21, for the purpose of comparison with the ANN models. Findings – The findings show that the cost forecasting models based on ANN algorithm are more viable alternative to regression models for predicting the costs of light wiring, power wiring and cable pathways. The ANN prediction errors achieved are 6.4, 4.5 and 4.5 per cent for the three models developed whereas the regression models were insignificant. They did not fit any of the known regression distributions. Practical implications – The validated ANN models were converted to a desktop application (user interface) package – “Intelligent Estimator.” The application is important because it can be used by construction professionals to reliably and quickly forecast the costs of power wiring, light wiring and cable pathways using building variables that are readily available or measurable during design stage, i.e. fully enclosed covered area, unenclosed covered area, internal perimeter length and number of floors. Originality/value – Previous studies have concluded that the methods of estimating the budget for building structure and fabric work are inappropriate for use with mechanical and electrical services. Thus, this study is unique because it applied the ANN modeling technique, for the first time, to cost modeling of electrical services components for building using real world data. The analysis shows that ANN is a better alternative to regression models for predicting cost of services elements because the relationship between cost and the cost drivers are non-linear and distribution types are unknown.

Role of computers in the design of energy-responsive buildings

1989 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-61
Author(s):  
Radu Zmeureanu ◽  
Paul Fazio
Keyword(s):  
Structural Engineering ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Design Stage ◽  
Interactive Software ◽  
Cost Of Energy ◽  
Hollow Core Slab ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact

Closer collaboration of the traditional disciplines of architecture, structural engineering, and mechanical engineering is required at the design stage to better deal with the complexity of modern buildings, and to maintain the cost of energy low while providing a suitable indoor environment during the life of the building.The availability of personal computers and the development of interactive software provide more opportunities for an integrated approach to building design. This approach is useful in determining the impact of one subsystem on the performance of another subsystem and on the overall performance of the building. An example of such an integrated approach is presented in this paper, which determines the impact of a structural system (hollow core slab) and its mass on the energy consumption of the building. Key words: building design, computers, energy.

scholarly journals Are you a good borrower? Mining interpretable pattern structures in credit scoring

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 67-85
Author(s):  
Sergei O. Kuznetsov ◽  
Alexey Masyutin ◽  
Aleksandr Ageev
Keyword(s):  
Binary Data ◽  
Regression Models ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Credit Scoring ◽  
Black Box ◽  
Original Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Pattern Structures ◽  
Classification And Regression ◽  
The Cost

Purpose The purpose of this study is to show that closure-based classification and regression models provide both high accuracy and interpretability. Design/methodology/approach Pattern structures allow one to approach the knowledge extraction problem in case of partially ordered descriptions. They provide a way to apply techniques based on closed descriptions to non-binary data. To provide scalability of the approach, the author introduced a lazy (query-based) classification algorithm. Findings The experiments support the hypothesis that closure-based classification and regression allow one to both achieve higher accuracy in scoring models as compared to results obtained with classical banking models and retain interpretability of model results, whereas black-box methods grant better accuracy for the cost of losing interpretability. Originality/value This is an original research showing the advantage of closure-based classification and regression models in the banking sphere.

scholarly journals Multicriteria assessment of selected types of the single-layer exterior walls

2018 ◽  
Vol 219 ◽  
pp. 04005
Author(s):  
Piotr Plebankiewicz ◽  
Agnieszka Leśniak
Keyword(s):  
Execution Time ◽  
Single Layer ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Design Stage ◽  
Analysis Method ◽  
Single Family ◽  
Technical Parameters ◽  
Multicriteria Assessment ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Choice Of Technology

The choice of technology for the construction of external walls and materials is made at the building design stage. This is one of the key decisions, any change after the beginning of construction is bound to cause serious consequences. It is therefore worth analysing various design solutions beforehand, taking into account the cost, quality, execution time, as well as the partition parameters obtained. The paper presents three variants of the solution for single-layer external walls that can be used in single-family buildings. Costs were calculated and selected technical parameters were listed. The evaluation of the proposed variants was made using the multi-criteria analysis method.

Can artificial neural network models be used to improve the analysis of B2B marketing research data?

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 495-507
Author(s):  
R. Dale Wilson ◽  
Harriette Bettis-Outland
Keyword(s):  
Neural Network ◽  
Artificial Neural Network ◽  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Regression Models ◽  
Model Building ◽  
Marketing Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
B2b Marketing ◽  
Multiple Regression Models ◽  
Ann Models

Purpose Artificial neural network (ANN) models, part of the discipline of machine learning and artificial intelligence, are becoming more popular in the marketing literature and in marketing practice. This paper aims to provide a series of tests between ANN models and competing predictive models. Design/methodology/approach A total of 46 pairs of models were evaluated in an objective model-building environment. Either logistic regression or multiple regression models were developed and then were compared to ANN models using the same set of input variables. Three sets of B2B data were used to test the models. Emphasis also was placed on evaluating small samples. Findings ANN models tend to generate model predictions that are more accurate or the same as logistic regression models. However, when ANN models are compared to multiple regression models, the results are mixed. For small sample sizes, the modeling results are the same as for larger samples. Research limitations/implications Like all marketing research, this application is limited by the methods and the data used to conduct the research. The findings strongly suggest that, because of their predictive accuracy, ANN models will have an important role in the future of B2B marketing research and model-building applications. Practical implications ANN models should be carefully considered for potential use in marketing research and model-building applications by B2B academics and practitioners alike. Originality/value The research contributes to the B2B marketing literature by providing a more rigorous test on ANN models using B2B data than has been conducted before.

Revisiting the role of professionals in designing buildings with low embodied and operational energy

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 110-123
Author(s):  
G.A. Tennakoon ◽  
Anuradha Waidyasekara ◽  
B.J. Ekanayake
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficient ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Embodied Energy ◽  
Design Stage ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Design Concepts ◽  
Operational Energy

Purpose Many studies have focused on embodied energy (EE) and operational energy (OE), but a shortage of studies on decision making, which involves several decision makers whose decisions can affect the energy performance of buildings, is evident. From the stages of the project life cycle, the design stage is identified as the ideal stage for integrating energy efficiency into buildings. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to revisit the role of professionals in designing energy-conscious buildings with low EE and OE. Design/methodology/approach This study administered a qualitative approach. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews only with 12 experts, due to the lack of expertise in the subject matter. The data were analyzed using manual content analysis. Findings The outcomes revealed the necessity to revisit the role of construction professionals in terms of adopting energy-efficient building design concepts from the project outset. The roles of the key professional groups (i.e. architects, structural engineers, services engineers and quantity surveyors) were identified through this research. Common issues in designing energy-efficient buildings and the means of addressing such problems were outlined. Originality/value This study contributes to the knowledge by revisiting the roles of construction professionals and proposing how they could leverage their strengths to play the important role and contribute collectively to design buildings with both low OE and EE.

Whole building life cycle assessment at the design stage: a BIM-based framework using environmental product declaration

2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Haibo Feng ◽  
Mohamad Kassem ◽  
David Greenwood ◽  
Omar Doukari
Keyword(s):  
Design Optimization ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Design Stage ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Optimization Framework ◽  
Operational Energy ◽  
Building Level ◽  
Lca Results

PurposeWhole building life cycle assessment (WBLCA) is a key methodology to reduce the environmental impacts in the building sector. Research studies usually face challenges in presenting comprehensive LCA results due to the complexity of assessments at the building level. There is a dearth of methods for the systematic evaluation and optimization of the WBLCA performance at the design stage. The study aims to develop a design optimization framework based on the proposed WBLCA method to evaluate and improve the environmental performance at the building level.Design/methodology/approachThe WBLCA development method is proposed with detailed processes based on the EN 15978 standard. The environmental product declaration (EPD) methods were adopted to ensure the WBLCA is comprehensive and reliable. Building information modeling (BIM) was used to ensure the building materials and assembly contributions are accurate and provide dynamic material updates for the design optimization framework. Furthermore, the interactive BIM-LCA calculation processes were demonstrated for measuring the environmental impacts of design upgrades. The TOPSIS-based LCA results normalization was selected to conduct the comparisons of various building design upgrades.FindingsThe case study conducted for a residential building showed that the material embodied impacts and the operational energy use impacts are the two critical factors that contribute 60–90% of the total environmental impacts and resource uses. Concrete and wood are the main material types accounting for an average of 65% of the material embodied impacts. The air and water heating for the house are the main energy factors, as these account for over 80% of the operational energy use. Based on the original WBLCA results, two scenarios were established to improve building performance through the design optimization framework.Originality/valueThe LCA results show that the two upgraded building designs create an average of 5% reduction compared with the original building design and improving the thermal performance of the house with more insulation materials does not always reduce the WBLCA results. The proposed WBLCA method can be used to compare the building-level environmental performances with the similar building types. The proposed framework can be used to support building designers to effectively improve the WBLCA performance.

scholarly journals A critical review of the developments in building adaptability

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 284-303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oliver Heidrich ◽  
John Kamara ◽  
Sebastiano Maltese ◽  
Fulvio Re Cecconi ◽  
Mario Claudio Dejaco
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Critical Review ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Design Criterion ◽  
Design Stage ◽  
Research Issues ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
Current State

Purpose This paper provides a critical review of developments in the adaptability of buildings. The purpose of this paper is to determine the current “state-of-the-art”, describe current thinking and trends in research and practice, and identify issues and gaps that further research can address. It provides a basis for a scientific and practical understanding of the interdependencies across different design criterion. This paper increases the awareness of architects, engineers, clients and users on the importance of adaptability and its role in lowering impacts over the lifecycle of buildings as part of the infrastructure system. Design/methodology/approach This paper draws mainly from the literature as its source of evidence. These were identified from established databases and search engines (e.g. Scopus, ISI Web of Knowledge and Google Scholar) using keywords such as adaptability, adaptable, adaptation, and flexibility. Over 80 sources including books, journal papers, conference proceedings, research reports and doctoral theses covering the period 1990 to 2017 were reviewed and categorised. An inductive approach was used to critically review and categorise these publications and develop a framework for analysis. Findings The concept of adaptability includes many dimensions which can broadly fall into two categories: changes to buildings and user adaptations to buildings. However, previous research has mostly focussed on the former, with many attempts to identify building attributes that facilitate adaptability, and some considerations for its assessment. Key areas that have not been adequately addressed and which require further research include: user/occupant adaptations, cost, benefits and implications of various adaptability measures, and the development of a standardised assessment methodology that could aid in decision making in the design stage of buildings. Research limitations/implications The adaptability strategies considered in this review focussed mainly on building components and systems, and did not include the contribution of intelligent and smart/biological systems. The coverage is further limited in scope due to the period considered (1990-2017) and the exclusion of terms such as “retrofit” and “refurbishment” from the review. However, the findings provide a solid basis for further research in the areas identified above. It identifies research issues and gaps in knowledge between the defined needs and current state-of-the-art on adaptive building for both research and practice. Originality/value This paper is a review of research into a highly topical subject, given the acknowledged need to adapt buildings over their lifecycle to environmental, economic or social changes. It provides further insights on the dimensions of adaptability and identifies areas for further research that will contribute to the development of robust tools for the assessment of building adaptability, which will enhance the decision-making process of building design and the development of a more sustainable built environment.

scholarly journals Corporate performance: does board independence matter? – Indian evidence

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 185-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arunima Haldar ◽  
Reeta Shah ◽  
S.V.D. Nageswara Rao ◽  
Peter Stokes ◽  
Dilek Demirbas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Financial Performance ◽  
Regression Models ◽  
Independent Directors ◽  
Board Independence ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Concentrated Ownership ◽  
Board Directors ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of the presence of independent board directors on financial performance in India. Design/methodology/approach This study used panel regression models on large listed Indian firms to investigate the impact on financial performance owing to the presence of independent directors. Findings The findings suggest that independent board directors in Indian contexts do not significantly affect financial performance. Practical implications This study has implications for the formulation of regulation related to appointment of independent directors and the extent of their representation on the board for them to be effective. Social implications The proportion of independent directors on the board of the firm is influenced by the trade-off between the cost of having independent directors on the board versus the benefits to the firm and society. Originality/value The impact of the presence of an independent director on financial performance in highly concentrated ownership remains ambiguous.

An integrated BIM-based approach for cost estimation in construction projects

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdulwahed Fazeli ◽  
Mohammad Saleh Dashti ◽  
Farzad Jalaei ◽  
Mostafa Khanzadi
Keyword(s):  
Cost Estimation ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Automated System ◽  
Design Stage ◽  
Complex Structures ◽  
Human Errors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeAnalyzing different scenarios at the design stage of construction projects has always been a challenging task. One of the main parameters that helps owners in making better decisions in designing their buildings is to look after the cost perspective on different design scenarios. Thus, this study aims to propose a semi-automated BIM-based cost estimation approach that enables practitioners to estimate the cost of projects based on different design scenarios by an accurate and agile system.Design/methodology/approachThis study proposes an integrated framework, through which the cost estimation standard of Iran (FehrestBaha) is linked to the materials quantity take-offs (QTO) from BIM models. The performance of the system is based on connecting the classification standards of UniFormat and MasterFormat to the cost estimation standard of FehrestBaha. A BIM-based extension in the Revit environment is developed to automate the cost estimation process.FindingsTo evaluate the efficiency of the proposed approach in cost estimation, it is implemented to estimate the cost of the architectural discipline in a real construction project. The results indicate that the proposed BIM-based approach estimated the cost of the architectural discipline with an acceptable level of accuracy.Practical implicationsThe proposed approach could be used by practitioners to have an agile and accurate BIM-based cost estimation of different scenarios during design process. The semi-automated system considerably reduces the time of cost estimation in comparison to the traditional manual approaches, particularly in complex structures. Owners are able to easily trace changes in project cost according to any changes in components and materials of the BIM model. Furthermore, the proposed approach provides a practical roadmap for BIM-based cost estimation based on cost estimation standards in different countries.Originality/valueUnlike the traditional manual cost estimation approaches, the proposed BIM-based approach is not highly dependent on the knowledge of experienced estimators, which therefore facilitates its implementation. Furthermore, automating both QTO process and the required calculations in this approach increases the accuracy of cost estimation while decreasing the probability of human errors or omission occurrence.

A model utilizing the artificial neural network in cost estimation of construction projects in Jordan

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dareen Ryied Al-Tawal ◽  
Mazen Arafah ◽  
Ghaleb Jalil Sweis
Keyword(s):  
Cost Estimation ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Design Stage ◽  
Concept Design ◽  
Ann Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Artificial Neural ◽  
Design Factors

PurposeCost estimation is one of the most significant steps in construction planning, which must be undertaken in the preliminary stages of any project; it is required for all projects to establish the project's budget. Confidence in these initial estimates is low, primarily due to the limited availability of suitable data, which leads the construction projects to frequently end up over budget. This paper investigated the efficacy of artificial neural networks (ANNs) methodologies in overcoming cost estimation problems in the early phases of the building design process.Design/methodology/approachCost and design data from 104 projects constructed over the past five years in Jordan were used to develop, train and test ANN models. At the detailed design stage, 53 design factors were utilized to develop the first ANN model; then the factors were reduced to 41 and were utilized to develop the second predictive model at the schematic design stage. Finally, 27 design factors available at the concept design stage were utilized for the third ANN model.FindingsThe models achieved average cost estimation accuracy of 98, 98 and 97% in the detailed, schematic and concept design stages, respectively.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper formulated the aims and objectives to be applicable only in Jordan using historical data of building projects.Originality/valueThe ANN approach introduced as a management tool is expected to provide the stakeholders in the engineering business with an indispensable tool for predicting the cost with limited data at the early stages of construction projects.

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