scholarly journals ENGINEERING RISK MANAGEMENT IN PERFORMANCE-BASED BUILDING ENVIRONMENTS

2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 218-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nuno Marques Almeida ◽  
Vitor Sousa ◽  
Luís Alves Dias ◽  
Fernando Branco
Keyword(s):  
Construction Projects ◽  
End Users ◽  
Conformity Assessment ◽  
Insurance Companies ◽  
Structural Safety ◽  
Building Projects ◽  
Management Framework ◽  
Technical Requirements ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Conceptual Background

Nowadays, a wide range of stakeholders seek explicit performance and risk information on construction projects. These stakeholders include end-users, authorities, insurance companies and financial institutions, among others. They look for proof that engineering risks are being properly managed and that specified performance-based requirements are fulfilled throughout all stages of the project (e.g. technical requirements related to the building such as structural safety, structural serviceability, structural durability, fire safety, energy efficiency, or others). Such demonstration can be conveyed through statements of technical conformity, such as technical risk reports or engineering performance certificates. Statements of conformity are particularly valuable to make informed decisions associated with contractual or other legal warranties against building nonconformities. This paper describes the conceptual background and the methodologies undertaken to design and develop a management framework that enables recognition of the conformity assessment results of building projects. It also presents the outreach of this management framework throughout the planning, programming, design, construction and use phases of building projects. This paper also summarizes the wide range of practical implications and benefits of this management framework for authorities and official bodies, owners and their representatives, banks and insurance companies, conformity assessment bodies, designers, builders, suppliers and end-users.

scholarly journals Harnessing Machine Learning for Classifying Economic Damage Trends in Transportation Infrastructure Projects

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 6376
Author(s):  
Junseo Bae ◽  
Sang-Guk Yum ◽  
Ji-Myong Kim
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Financial Management ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Transportation Infrastructure ◽  
Classification Model ◽  
Insurance Companies ◽  
Economic Damage ◽  
Infrastructure Projects ◽  
Machine Learning Classification ◽  
Financial Losses

Given the highly visible nature, transportation infrastructure construction projects are often exposed to numerous unexpected events, compared to other types of construction projects. Despite the importance of predicting financial losses caused by risk, it is still difficult to determine which risk factors are generally critical and when these risks tend to occur, without benchmarkable references. Most of existing methods are prediction-focused, project type-specific, while ignoring the timing aspect of risk. This study filled these knowledge gaps by developing a neural network-driven machine-learning classification model that can categorize causes of financial losses depending on insurance claim payout proportions and risk occurrence timing, drawing on 625 transportation infrastructure construction projects including bridges, roads, and tunnels. The developed network model showed acceptable classification accuracy of 74.1%, 69.4%, and 71.8% in training, cross-validation, and test sets, respectively. This study is the first of its kind by providing benchmarkable classification references of economic damage trends in transportation infrastructure projects. The proposed holistic approach will help construction practitioners consider the uncertainty of project management and the potential impact of natural hazards proactively, with the risk occurrence timing trends. This study will also assist insurance companies with developing sustainable financial management plans for transportation infrastructure projects.

Managing integration in infrastructure alliance projects

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna-Maija Hietajärvi ◽  
Kirsi Aaltonen ◽  
Harri Haapasalo
Keyword(s):  
Construction Projects ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Complex Projects ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Project Organizations ◽  
Integration Mechanisms ◽  
Organizational Integration ◽  
Time Critical

Purpose The effective management of inter-organizational integration is central to complex projects. Such projects pose significant challenges for integration, as organizations struggle with constantly changing inter-organizational interdependencies and must develop and adapt integration mechanisms to meet new demands. The purpose of this paper is to understand what kinds of integration mechanisms are used and how they are developed and adjusted during the infrastructure alliance projects. Design/methodology/approach This study provides empirical evidence of integration dynamics in project alliancing by analyzing two infrastructure alliance projects – a complex tunnel construction project and a railway renovation project. The research approach is an inductive case study. Findings This paper identifies integration mechanisms adopted in two case projects and three central triggers that led to changes in the integration mechanisms: project lifecycle phase, unexpected events and project team’s learning during the project. Practical implications Integration capability should be a precondition for alliance project organizations and requires the adoption of a wide range of integration mechanisms, as well as an ability to adjust those mechanisms in response to everyday dynamics and emergent situations. Originality/value Although unplanned contingencies and the responses to them represent important influences in organizations, there is limited amount of research on the dynamics of integration. The findings will be of value in supporting the management of inter-organizational integration in complex, uncertain and time-critical construction projects.

scholarly journals Infection Prevention Time Required for Construction and Design at a Large Tertiary-Care Hospital, 2019

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. s69-s70
Author(s):  
Angie Dains ◽  
Michael Edmond ◽  
Daniel Diekema ◽  
Stephanie Holley ◽  
Oluchi Abosi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Infection Control ◽  
Patient Care ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Class Iii ◽  
Construction Sites ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Time Required ◽  
Class Iv

Background: Including infection preventionists (IPs) in hospital design, construction, and renovation projects is important. According to the Joint Commission, “Infection control oversights during building design or renovations commonly result in regulatory problems, millions lost and even patient deaths.” We evaluated the number of active major construction projects at our 800-bed hospital with 6.0 IP FTEs and the IP time required for oversight. Methods: We reviewed construction records from October 2018 through October 2019. We classified projects as active if any construction occurred during the study period. We describe the types of projects: inpatient, outpatient, non–patient care, and the potential impact to patient health through infection control risk assessments (ICRA). ICRAs were classified as class I (non–patient-care area and minimal construction activity), class II (patients are not likely to be in the area and work is small scale), class III (patient care area and work requires demolition that generates dust), and class IV (any area requiring environmental precautions). We calculated the time spent visiting construction sites and in design meetings. Results: During October 2018–October 2019, there were 51 active construction projects with an average of 15 active sites per week. These sites included a wide range of projects from a new bone marrow transplant unit, labor and delivery expansion and renovation, space conversion to an inpatient unit to a project for multiple air handler replacements. All 51 projects were classified as class III or class IV. We visited, on average, 4 construction sites each week for 30 minutes per site, leaving 11 sites unobserved due to time constraints. We spent an average of 120 minutes weekly, but 450 minutes would have been required to observe all 15 sites. Yearly, the required hours to observe these active construction sites once weekly would be 390 hours. In addition to the observational hours, 124 hours were spent in design meetings alone, not considering the preparation time and follow-up required for these meetings. Conclusions: In a large academic medical center, IPs had time available to visit only a quarter of active projects on an ongoing basis. Increasing dedicated IP time in construction projects is essential to mitigating infection control risks in large hospitals.Funding: NoneDisclosures: None

scholarly journals Development and Application of Resistance Strain Force Sensors

Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (20) ◽  
pp. 5826
Author(s):  
Yinming Zhao ◽  
Yang Liu ◽  
Yongqian Li ◽  
Qun Hao
Keyword(s):  
Stress Transfer ◽  
Wide Band ◽  
Resistance Strain ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Force Sensors ◽  
Technical Requirements ◽  
Creep Effect ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Sustained Loads ◽  
Recent Developments

Resistance strain force sensors have been applied to monitor the strains in various parts and structures for industrial use. Here, we review the working principles, structural forms, and fabrication processes for resistance strain gauges. In particular, we focus on recent developments in resistance stress transfer for resistance strain force sensors and the creep effect due to sustained loads and/or temperature variations. Various error compensation methods to reduce the creep effect are analyzed to develop a metrology standard for resistance strain force sensors. Additionally, the current status of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), silicon carbide (SiC), gallium nitride (GaN), and other wide band gap semiconductors for a wide range of strain sensors are reviewed. The technical requirements and key issues of resistance strain force sensors for future applications are presented.

scholarly journals SUBCONTRACTOR SELECTION USING THE INTEGRATION OF THE AHP AND PROMRTHEE METHODS

2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (8) ◽  
pp. 1042-1054 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gul POLAT
Keyword(s):  
Construction Projects ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
Selection Problem ◽  
Preference Ranking ◽  
Analytic Hierarchy ◽  
Building Projects ◽  
Bid Price ◽  
Perform Sensitivity Analysis ◽  
Complete Ranking ◽  
The Right

On many construction projects, especially building projects, 80–90% of the tasks are performed by subcontractors. Since the success of the project highly depends on the performances of the subcontractors, selecting the right subcontractor for the right job is critical. Main contractors generally tend to select the subcontractors that offer the lowest bid price. However, working with unqualified and insufficiently financed subcontractors may result in inefficiencies and failures. Thus, a combination of several compromising and conflicting criteria underpinning financial capacity and competencies of the subcontractors should be considered during the subcontractor selection process. This paper proposes an integrated decision approach, which employs analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and preference ranking organization method for enrichment evaluations (PROMETHEE) together, for the subcontractor selection problem. In the proposed approach, AHP is used to analyze the structure of the subcontractor selection problem and to determine the weights of the criteria, and PROMETHEE is employed to obtain complete ranking and perform sensitivity analysis by changing the weights of criteria. The proposed approach is applied to a problem of selecting the most appropriate subcontractor to be worked with in an international construction project. Company management found the proposed decision approach satisfactory and implementable in future subcontractor selection problems.

The Research of Collaboration Management Framework for Complex Construction Project

2012 ◽  
Vol 174-177 ◽  
pp. 3360-3363 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhi Lu Zhen
Keyword(s):  
Construction Projects ◽  
Construction Project ◽  
External Environment ◽  
Risk Prevention ◽  
Collaborative Management ◽  
Prevention Measures ◽  
Management Framework ◽  
Collaboration Management ◽  
Complex Construction ◽  
The Impact

Based on analyzing the complexity of construction projects, we established a collaborative management framework for complex construction project and presented the main content of collaborative management. The main content includes three parts, the first part is the collaborative management for system itself, the second part is to reduce the system complexity in order to reduce the difficulty of management and the last part is to reduce the complexity caused by the uncontrollable external environment. We can use the method of risk pre-assessment and take risk prevention measures to reduce the impact for collaborative management caused by the dynamic external environment.

scholarly journals Development of the structure and composition of a building information classifier towards the application of BIM technologies

Vestnik MGSU ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 867-906 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vladimir A. Volkodav ◽  
Ivan A. Volkodav
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Life Cycles ◽  
Classification Systems ◽  
Information Modeling ◽  
Information Classification ◽  
Technical Requirements ◽  
Information Models ◽  
Building Information ◽  
The One

Abstract Introduction. Various building information classification systems are used internationally; their critical analysis makes it possible to highlight basic requirements applicable to the Russian classifier and substantiate its structure and composition. Materials and methods. Modern international building information classification systems, such as OmniClass (USA), Uniclass 2015 (UK), CCS (Denmark), and CoClass (Sweden), are considered in the article. Their structure, composition, methodological fundamentals are analyzed. In addition to international classification systems, Russian construction information classifiers are analyzed. Results. The structure of a building information classifier has been developed and tailored to the needs of BIM (building information modeling) and national regulatory and technical requirements. The classifier’s structure complies with the one recommended by ISO 12006-2:2015. Its composition has regard to the requirements that apply to the aggregation and unification of Russian classifiers, and it also benefits from the classifiers developed for and used by the construction industry. The proposed building information classifier has four basic categories and 21 basic classes. Conclusions. The proposed structure and composition of a building information classifier represent a unified and universal tool for communicating building information or presenting it in the standardized format in the consolidated information space designated for information models needed to manage life cycles of major construction projects.

scholarly journals Demonstrating the full-value chain of climate services in Southern Africa: the FOCUS-Africa project

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberta Boscolo ◽  
Hamid Bastani ◽  
Asmerom Beraki ◽  
Nicolas Fournier ◽  
Raül Marcos-Matamoros ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Scientific Knowledge ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
End Users ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Climate Information ◽  
Climate Services ◽  
Wide Range

<p><strong><em>FOCUS-Africa</em></strong> is an EU Horizon 2020 project funded to co-develop tailored climate services in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. The project, led by the WMO and started in September 2020, gathers 16 partners across Africa and Europe jointly committed to addressing the value of climate services for key economic sectors in Africa: agriculture and food security, water, energy, and infrastructure.</p><p>The project is piloting eight case studies (CSs) in five different countries involving a wide range of end-users. New services derived from seasonal and decadal forecasts are applied for food security and crop production in South Africa, Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania. High-resolution climate projections, as well as historical climate reanalyses, are used to support planning and investment decisions for: a railway infrastructure and a mix of renewable energies in Tanzania, hydropower generation assessment under climate change scenarios in Malawi, and water resources management in Mauritius.</p><p>For all the FOCUS-Africa’s case studies, socio-economic impact assessment of the delivered climate services will be carried out in collaboration with the CS leaders, service providers, and end-users, by providing ex-ante and ex-post evaluations grounded in the Global Indicator Framework for the Sustainable Development Goals. The project will align the capacity development efforts with those promoted by WMO for enhancing the capabilities of the NMHSs to deliver climate services to users and will make sure that the project's innovative processes and tools will be part of the WMO training curricula.</p><p>FOCUS-Africa's expected impacts are:</p><ul><li>Build a strong link between the climate scientific community and stakeholders in the SADC region by leveraging the advanced scientific knowledge and strong networks of the implementing team, and by establishing dedicated channels of communications, so as to target the full value chain of our users, from the start of the project</li> <li>Advance the way in which climate information is developed by characterising end-use requirements through regular engagement</li> <li>Contribute to the advancement of the scientific knowledge in the region and strengthened support for international scientific assessments through publications and reports such as those relevant for the IPCC, through the innovative science developed by FOCUS-Africa</li> <li>Demonstrate the effectiveness of the climate information by strengthening the adaptive capacity of end-users by delivering tailored, actionable, and exploitable climate services and by estimating their socio-economic benefits across the full value chain.</li> <li>Enhance policy-making for climate adaptation in the project and other countries</li> <li>Increase women’s access to climate services</li> </ul>

scholarly journals Factors Determining the Success of HSR Building Projects

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 5-19
Author(s):  
Elena M. Volkova
Keyword(s):  
Construction Projects ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Economic Effects ◽  
Scientific Result ◽  
High Speed Rail ◽  
Building Projects ◽  
The World ◽  
The Russian Federation ◽  
The Impact

The article reviews the world experience in the construction and operation of high-speed railways in terms of factors that determine the success or failure of such projects. Since the construction of HSR is often considered as a part of national projects on a broader scale, it is proposed to use as criteria for success not only commercial indicators, but also various socio-economic effects arising from their implementation. The author classifies externalities that reflect the impact of HSR on the development of regions and cities and presents the results of foreign research on their quantitative and qualitative analysis. Special attention is paid to the experience of China, since this country significantly differs from the rest of the world in terms of development of high-speed rail traffic. In this regard, the largest amount of representative data that allows us to identify the success factors of HSR projects can be found for Chinese projects. The main scientific result of this article is a generalization of the existing experience of HSR construction projects and justification of the prospects for implementing such projects in the Russian Federation.

Bonding capability of Nigerian contracting firms

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 707-720 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayodeji Emmanuel Oke
Keyword(s):  
Construction Projects ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Insurance Companies ◽  
State Governments ◽  
Legal Capacity ◽  
Years Of Experience ◽  
Past Performance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Financial Strength ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The ability of construction contractors to engage in construction bond agreement with guarantors depends on capital, experience, capacity and continuity. Using these criteria, the purpose of this paper is to provide insights into the bonding capacity of Nigerian contractors. Design/methodology/approach Factors required for bonding were examined based on a set of questions addressed to managers of contracting firms and personnel involved in issuing bonds and guarantees in commercial banks and insurance companies. The scorecard approach was employed to determine the bonding capability of the contractors. Findings Contractors’ financial strength and past performance on previous projects are the two important factors considered by guarantors in granting bond to contractors. However, the condition surrounding the bond, the legal capacity of the guarantor to issue bond and the identity of the guarantor are mostly considered by contractors in approaching a potential guarantor. Using the scorecard approach, about one-third of contractors have the necessary requirements to engage in construction bond agreement with guarantors. This ability of contractors is affected by years of experience of the firm but not by their location nor years of experience of their manager. Practical implications It is necessary for contracting firms to increase their capital base through merging, borrowing, etc., and also engage experienced professionals and workers in the execution of construction projects, as this will eventually improve their bonding ability. Social implications The study is limited to construction contractors registered with Ondo and Lagos State Governments and guarantors that are banks and insurance companies in Nigeria. Originality/value The paper specified various areas of concerns for Nigerian contracting firms in their bid to enhance their bonding ability. This will help them in overcoming various challenges and bottlenecks that may arise in securing bonds and guarantees from guarantors.

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