Effects of termal treatment on the physical properties of Buchenavia sp. (branquilho) wood

This work aimed to evaluate the effect of heat treatment on the physical properties of wood from Buchenavia sp. The heat treatments were carried out at temperatures of 180 °C and 200 °C for 2 h. Apparent density (AD), basic density (BD), porosity (Ф), mass loss, longitudinal (LS), radial (RS), tangential (TS) and volumetric (VS) shrinkages and anisotropic factor (AF) were determined. The lowest values of basic density (0.67 g cm-3), apparent density (0.77 gcm-3), and porosity (43.3%) were observed for the wood treated at a temperature of 200 °C. Mass losses increased with increasing temperature and the highest values were observed under the condition of 200 °C (9.3%). The LS and AF was not affected by heat treatments. The mean values for RS (3.1%), TS (5.1%), and VS (9.1%) were reduced after the performance of heat treatments at temperatures of 180°C and 200°C, which did not differ from each other. The thermal treatments were able to reduce the dimensional instability of Buchenavia sp. Thermal treatments enhance the use of less prestigious Amazonian woods in the civil construction market.

Evolution and Construction Differentiation Pattern of African Railway Network

Since the new century, countries in Africa have started a new round of rail network planning and construction which brings the completed different features together with the spatial organization of the railway network during the colonial period. Along with the strategic layout of “going out” with China’s railways, the organizational structure of the African railway network will make a tremendous change for the construction market, network organization, and gauge structure of the African railways. Based on the literature reviews, we analyzed and forecasted the evolution of railway network in Africa and discussed the spatial differentiation of the future construction market of the railways from the view of country and enterprise. The results show that the development of the African railway networks will experience three stages: 1850–1960, 1960–2010 and 2010–2050, and that the organization pattern of the African railway network has evolved from the “Hinterland-Port” model to the “Continental Integration” model. The development of railway technical standards tends to be integrated, the gauge type is changed from complicated to single, the gauge distribution is changed from broken to uniform. The contractor countries of the railway changed from English-French dominated to China dominated. The application of railway technical standards is influenced by technology dependence and path dependence and is mainly reflected in the two characteristics of “Chinese standard implantation” and “local standard retention”. The contractor enterprises of railway have a monopoly on the market of a country, CCECC and CRCC are leading, and the contractor enterprises are spatially characterized by four spatial distribution modes: single, continuous, jumping and comprehensive.

Modern Digitalization Trends in the Construction Sphere

This article provides a justification for the need to introduce digital technologies into the activities of construction organizations, considers the basic principles on the basis of which the interaction of participants in digital relations will occur, identifies the main problems that construction companies face in the process of introducing modern digital technologies. The work identifies measures that contribute to the effective implementation of technologies, and their merits, it is concluded that it is necessary to switch existing construction to digital, since it is an important condition for the further development of the construction market, ensuring a high level of competitiveness, cost savings, increasing the speed of work and the resulting profit. ... One of the main roles in the development of information technologies, promoting their implementation in all spheres of human activity should belong to government agencies, they should focus on reducing obstacles to the development of digital technologies in the country, making adjustments and correcting the shortcomings of modern market mechanisms, supporting fair competition in markets, attracting investment in this area. Without the implementation of these principles, it is impossible to achieve the required level of development and promotion of digitalization in Russia. The emergence of new information technologies has a significant impact on the economy and society as a whole, changing the economic structure and lifestyle of people. However, despite all the concerns, the digital transformation in the construction industry is progressing slowly but steadily. Most Russian construction companies have yet to take full advantage of digital platforms. They are gradually exploring digitalization issues and plan to introduce technologies that will further develop the industry and increase the competitiveness of construction organizations.

The Unevenness of Construction Market Development and Regional Infrastructure Development in Russia

Aim. The presented study aims to address the issues of the unevenness of construction market development and regional infrastructure development in the Russian Federation.Tasks. The authors analyze the scale of the construction markets in Russian regions and compare it with the level of infrastructure development.Methods. This study uses statistical methods of information processing, including the index method, ranking, and expert assessment. Input data for the analysis include official statistical reports of the Federal State Statistics Service (major socio-economic indicators and indicators of construction activity development in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation), analytical reviews of InfraOne Research — Russian infrastructure: development index 2020, and data from the SPARK service.Results. The study examines the specific features of regional construction market development and divides regions into five groups based on the scale of construction markets. The authors assess the relationship between the volume of construction works and the scale of the contractor market with the values of the infrastructure development index and the volume of housing commissioning. It is concluded that there is a mutual influence between the scale of the construction market and the level of infrastructure development. The results of the study can be used in the development (updating) of strategies for the development of the construction complex and infrastructure, as well as in the implementation of government policy in this area.Conclusions. Based on the analysis of the volume of construction works, Russian regions are divided into five groups depending on the scale of the construction market. The scale is assessed based on the extent of the region’s contribution to the total volume of construction works performed in the Russian Federation. Assessment of the relationship between the volume of construction works and the scale of the contractor market with the values of the infrastructure development index indicates that regions with a large volume of construction works have a higher infrastructure development index. The volume of construction works and the number of construction companies do not always have an effect the infrastructure development index.

Demand for green building in Ghana: a conceptual modeling and empirical study of the impediments

Purpose The key to green building (GB) success is to have GB expansion driven by consumer demand rather than enforced rules and regulations. Yet, only a few studies have focused on the market impediments to GB development. This study systematically identified and evaluated the critical impediments to the demand for green and sustainable architecture by construction clients in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach The study adopted a two-stage data gathering approach. Qualitative data was collected first through an interview administered to 18 construction clients in Ghana. Based on the early findings, a survey instrument was subsequently developed to seek the views of 120 GB experts and professionals with 96 valid responses-returned. Findings The study discovered that – ineffective advertisement of GB, the perceived cost of implementation, lack of expertise, lack of financial incentives, illiterate construction market and risk and uncertainties were the top six reasons for the low demand for GB by construction clients in Ghana Practical implications Findings from this research would guide industry practitioners and stakeholders to make informed decisions regarding how to stimulate demand for GBs among construction clients. Originality/value The paper models and presents contextual realities on barriers to GB demand in Ghana. The study has added to previous studies by unearthing what constitutes the lack of demand for sustainable architecture. The findings of this study are expected to provide valuable information and insight to policymakers to catalyze green construction by actively involving construction clients.

Market Commonality and Competition in Communities—An Empirical Study Based on Bidding Data of the Construction Market

In contrast to traditional enterprise rivalry, the construction market competition is irregular on the surface due to the randomization of client targets and the one-time competition organization, which conflicts with construction businesses’ perceptions of the nature and future trend of rivalry. Therefore, contractors urgently need to accurately understand the competitive environment in which they will operate. In construction, few empirical studies exist on competitive environments from the standpoint of enterprise-to-enterprise competitive interactions. Based on market commonality, several hypotheses concerning the competitive pattern of the construction market have been proposed. To test these, a model of competing relationship networks is created using 7402 bid-winner notices for construction projects in Chongqing, China, from 2015 to 2018, followed by quantitative analysis and discussion of the model’s characteristic features. The findings suggest that there is a “community-type” rivalry in the building market, which represents the essential characteristics of market commonality. The research shows that the competitive action of construction enterprises is affected by construction technology, industrial division of labor and regional markets, and the competitive relationship between them tends to be “strong-strong”. This study reveals that the “community” competitive relationship in the construction industry may be a unique phenomenon, expands the application and development of market commonality and enterprise clusters in the construction economy, and provides theoretical guidance for construction enterprises to accurately recognize competitive behavior and decision making.

DESIGN OF HOTEL AND RESTAURANT COMPLEXES: SYSTEMATIZATION OF FINISHING MATERIALS

Background. An important, still unresolved problem in this case is the creation of a full-fledged market of building materials, the creation of a comprehensive database of materials, comparative statistics in online format on quality, aesthetic, and cost indicators of these materials, recommendations on their applications. Materialsand methods. The presented research use methods of analysis, describing, and generalization of available advertising information about covering materials for interior of hotels-restaurants buildings, for their future data base for practical design. Results. The analysis of features of building and finishing materials which are widely used in design and furnish of rooms of hotels and restaurants are resulted. Summarizing the above information that takes place on the websites of manufacturers and suppliers, it should be noted that the urgent task is the need to structure and systematize such commercial information, advertising about certain materials, in particular for floor coverings. The best solution may be to create an online system, which will present a complete set of building materials for interior decoration. Such an information file can be quickly and efficiently created online with the work of a group of architects-designers, graphic designers and programmers and uploaded to a web space, such as a modular environment such as MOODLE. Conclusion. Its hould be noted that there is such an insane amount of different format and cost of building materials for interior decoration on the market. All this urgently requires a comprehensive systematization and creation of an informative data base of these materials. This will allow the designer to facilitate the preparatory work in creating exclusive and innovative design environments, as it is more than tens of thousands of textures, color patterns of textures of materials. Creation and systematization of the electronic data base – its optimization for design services in the construction market.

Estimating wooden prefabricated building export potential from the Province of Quebec to the northeastern United States

The import activity of wooden prefabricated buildings in the Northeastern US region was over CAD 41.8 million during 2019, according to the US Census Bureau. This amount was growing at a 12.5% annual rate on average since 2017. There is evidence of a continued shortfall in supply for the construction market to be overcome in the region. The objective of this study was to estimate the export potential of wooden prefabricated buildings from the Province of Quebec to the Northeastern US region for the next decade in relation to the export activity and production capacity of the industry. The value of annual production of wooden prefabricated buildings in Quebec was up to CAD 578 million in 2019, according to iCRIQ. Export activities from Quebec are mainly directed to the Northeastern US, and were of CAD 18.8 million in 2019, or 81% of Quebec’s wooden prefabricated building exports. Results suggest that potential for wooden prefabricated building exports from the Province of Quebec to the US Northeastern region is important in terms of market share. The study also suggests that by drastically increasing the production capacity of the industry there is no chance that supply will overcome demand.

Prediction Model of Firefighting Supplies Market

The market size of the firefighting supplies industry is can be considered a derivative demand of the construction industry, and its patterns differ seasonally. In this study, the seasonal ARIMA model and the transfer function model were established, and their predictive performances were verified. It was statistically confirmed that the firefighting supplies market has a lagging character in the construction industry. Although the seasonal ARIMA model, a representative time-series model, is a suitable predictive model, the transfer function model linked to the construction market is more useful in the short-term forecast period. This study is the first statistical prediction study of the firefighting supplies market in Korea. Based on the structural characteristics of the firefighting supplies industry, the relationship between the building permit and firefighting supplies production should be established using the transfer function model, the transfer function model is more useful in the decision-making process of firefighting supplies policies and the manufacturer’s marketing.