The Effect of “Federal -Aid Swap” Programs and Davis-Bacon Prevailing Wages on Highway Construction Costs and Contractor Composition: Evidence From Iowa

“Federal-aid swap” programs allow states and local governments to bypass federal Davis-Bacon prevailing wages and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) goals by exchanging federal funds that have been allocated to highway projects with state funds. The Iowa Department of Transportation approved a federal-aid swap program in February 2018. Using data on more than 1,200 highway construction projects in Iowa from 2016 to 2020, I find that the cost of projects in the federal-aid swap program are not statistically different from those that were not swapped, after accounting for project size and complexity, project type, and project location. Regression results indicate that Davis-Bacon prevailing wages and DBE goals have no effect on total construction costs. However, the federal-aid swap program is statistically associated with a decrease in the likelihoods that a project is covered by the Davis-Bacon Act by 10 percentage points and DBE goals by 4 percentage points. Because the payment of Davis-Bacon prevailing wages is statistically associated with an 8 percentage-point decrease in the chances that a highway project is awarded to an out-of-state contractor, the federal-aid swap program may have increased the market share of out-of-state contractors at the expense of Iowa-based contractors.

Making the logic: a methodological experience of digital design process for small urban interventions

The emerging digital design process discourses point to the growing need to connect and manipulate design objective data. One of the challenges is knowing how to relate and operationalize this data accurately using a computational environment. This article investigates digital design processes by developing a design logic for small urban projects using objective data. This work follows the method: (1) defining the project location criteria, according to georeferenced data and the Space Syntax theory; (2) operationalizing the socio-spatial relationships according to the book A Pattern Language; (3) developing a Grasshopper definition for modeling several families of objects. We tested the method in a small urban intervention, in the city of Viçosa (MG), with the purpose of digital fabricating a piece of urban furniture.

ANALISA FAKTOR-FAKTOR YANG PALING DOMINAN PENYEBAB KETERLAMBATAN PROYEK

The construction of construction projects in Kupang district is currently experiencing a very rapid development, many buildings and roads were built to accommodate the needs of the community. This research focuses on the factors that cause delays that occur in the construction project of the Pancasila Flobamora Monument. This research was completed using a questionnaire distributed to parties directly involved in the process of building the Flobamora monument of the Pancasila house. The results of the study found 5 factors that have the highest importance index value, namely: lack of work experience of masons (68.41%), the influence of rainy weather (66.90%), late delivery of equipment to the project location (52.36%), lack of work experience. field supervisors (43.63%), late payments by the owner (32.29%). Recommendations given are based on the delay that occurred in the construction project of the Pancasila flobamora monument, namely the lack of work experience of masons, Increasing supervision of the masons by increasing the workforce of the head of workers and foremen. The influence of rainy weather, it is better if overtime hours are applied when the weather conditions are not raining so that reduced production due to rain can be overcome, the lack of work experience of field supervisors, providing assistance and direction for less experienced field supervisors.

Disease and Adverse Drug Reaction Prediction using Machine Learning

The aim of the project is to use machine learning techniques for disease prediction, risk prediction and prediction of adverse drug reactions. The project is divided into two modules, an android app and a web app. The android app is to predict possible diseases based on the symptoms the person is showing. Along with that the reviews of common drugs from online healthcare forums such as medications.com are extracted and tf-idf is used to find out the possible adverse drug reactions the drugs may have. The web app does disease risk prediction based on phenotypic details and lab reports. As an addition to the project, location based medical help and health tips are also implemented.

A Case Study on Consensus Building With Fisheries for Offshore Wind-Power Generation in Japan

Local fishery unions have a significant authority over the use of marine space in Japan. Building consensus with them on marine space use have been identified as significant barriers to development of offshore wind projects. Creating non-monetary benefits and adding value to the local fisheries is a required strategy for getting fisheries consensus for future offshore wind projects. Previous studies have proposed and evaluated several such benefit creation options. However, there still remains uncertainty of the effectiveness of such benefit creation options. This study aims to compare the local residents’ and fisheries’ preference of the benefit creation options by using questionnaire surveys and stakeholder interviews in three areas. Those valid responses have been selected for the preference analysis by using the DS-AHP multi criteria decision making model. This study shows that project location and other regional differences are significant factors of general residents’ attitudes of offshore wind projects. On the other hand, fishers, the most important stakeholders, preferred added values related to their fishing industry. Additionally, regional location and fishing method is found to have an impact on their preference.

Preliminary project design for insect production: part 4 – facility considerations

At the end of the preliminary project design (PPD) phase an aspiring entopreneur should have a clear idea of the scope and scale of the project being proposed. Hence, during PPD a number of aspects of the facilities must be considered. These are here dealt with in terms of basic questions that should first be answered about the project as a whole; project location issues; to what degree the facility is to be integrated or segregated into different units; what functionality is to be housed within the various building envelopes; and how safety and hygiene concerns can be addressed. As well, three ancillary issues are discussed that may affect facility design, construction and operation: the development of new production organisms that can grow on low-cost feeds; the possibility of disease evolution; and the matter of animal welfare.

A New Quest is Available: seeing, walking and narrating the city

Walking becomes a conversation, of past, present and future, between our body and the city. However, today’s modern hand-held map demands us to look down, disrupting the dialogue between the body and city. Like a modern role-playing game, the map guides us to our quest mark beyond with minimum consideration of the present time. The map makes the quest mark and path visible; yet, the in-between space of our reality is overlooked. Following the idea of a hidden quest mark in our real world, this study explores the lost narrative between our body and the city. The study examined a project named Location + that follows spatial history, experiences and the journey beyond of a hidden church of the Knights Templar in London. The project is filled with instructions to decipher codes, directing people to the church. By using psychogeography, the project Location + approaches a spatial narrative using site writing and creative map-making that is specific to the site. By emphasizing the idea that our journey matters, this project allows a dialogue between the body and city.

RUMAH SENI RUANG TERAPI

Stress and Depression are problems that often occur in people's lives. One of the causes is one’s habit in spending most of their time working and resting at home and without social activities that can be done every day with other individual, furthermore with the existence of social media that makes humans able to communicate with electronic devices and not meeting directly. The main issue is "Open Architecture as a Third Place" which discusses how to create a place that can become a Third Place as a gathering place for communities to socialize and as an informal public place. Another issue raised is the Art of Therapy as an Access to mental changes in society which increases stress levels differently by using images in form, combining thoughts with one another, struggling alone through an object, movements that can be united with images can be made into an art performance space. The project location is on Jalan RS. Fatmawati Raya in South Jakarta, West Cilandak, which is known as one of the areas that are dominated by offices with high levels of stress and depression. The aim of this project is to create a Third Place that can be a gathering place for the community to provide comments and interaction space using seniors. The research methods used in this research are Field Survey, Literature Study and Precedent Study. The research results obtained are the design of the building as "House of Art Space Theraphy". The main programs in this project are Planting, Lounge, Drawing Art in Sand, FoodCourt, 3D Installation, Chalkzone Wall, Free Drawing Workshop, Acrylic Art Exploration, Floor Drawing and Art Gallery, Listening Pictures and Self-Recognition Reflections that want to be shown to seniors who are all what humans do arising from feelings of life and moving beautifully so as to divert human feelings to improve themselves. Keywords: art; community; mental; stress; third placeAbstrakStress dan Depresi merupakan permasalahan yang sering terjadi dalam kehidupan masyarakat. Hal ini disebabkan oleh salah satunya kebiasaan manusia dalam menghabiskan sebagian besar waktunya bekerja dan beristirahat di rumah dan tanpa adanya kegiatan sosial yang dapat rutin dilakukan setiap hari dengan sesamanya, apalagi dengan adanya media sosial yang membuat manusia dapat berkomunikasi hanya dengan perangkat elektronik dan tidak bertemu secara langsung. Isu utama yang diangkat adalah “Open Architecture sebagai Third Place” yang membahas tentang bagaimana menciptakan sebuah tempat yang dapat menjadi Third Place sebagai tempat berkumpulnya komunitas masyarakat untuk bersosialisasi dan sebagai tempat publik informal. Isu lain yang di angkat adalah Seni Terapi sebagai Akses perubahan mental masyarakat yang mengalami tingkat stress berbeda dengan menggunakan seni dalam bentuk gambar, membagikan pikiran satu sama lain, menyadari diri melalui suatu objek, gerakan yang dapat disatukan dengan gambar dapat di jadikan ruang pentas seni. Lokasi proyek berada di Jalan RS. Fatmawati Raya di Jakarta Selatan, Cilandak Barat, yang dikenal sebagai salah satu kawasan yang di dominasi dengan perkantoran dengan tingkat stress dan depresi yang tinggi. Tujuan dari proyek ini adalah menciptakan sebuah Third Place yang dapat menjadi tempat berkumpulnya masyarakat untuk berkomunitas dan ruang interaksi dengan menggunakan seni secara primer. Metode penelitian yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah Survey Lapangan, Studi Literatur dan Studi Preseden. Hasil penelitian yang didapatkan adalah perancangan bangunan sebagai “Rumah Seni Ruang Terapi”. Program utama dalam proyek ini yaitu Planting, Relaxing Space, Drawingin Sand, FoodCourt, Instalation 3D, Chalkzone Wall, Free Drawing Workshop, Exploration Art Acrylic, Floor Drawing dan Art Gallery, Listening Drawing and Reflection Get to Know Self yang bertujuan untuk menghadirkan seni yang merupakan segala perbuatan manusia yang timbul dari hidup perasaannya dan bersifat indah hingga dapat menggerakkan jiwa perasaan manusia untuk memperbaiki diri.

TEMPAT PENGEMBANGAN GRIT

One of the problems in human life is individualism. This is because humans spend too much time at work and at home, so they rarely do social activities, along with the existence of social media that causes people to socialize with each other. This particular problem will be discussed in "Open Architecture as Third Place" project, which discusses how to create a third place as a place for people to socialize with each other and also as a public information space. The issue raised in this project is about "Grit" where people can learn how to grow grits within themselves to achieve the goals they want to achieve in the future. The project location is on Jalan Tanjung Duren Utara. This site is quite strategic for this third place project because it is close to First Place and Second Place where this project can become a permeability. This third place project is wished for people to be able to grow grits in themselves so that they can achieve their goals in their lives and can achieve their life goals that they have set. The method used in research is Field Survey, Literature Study, and Precedent Study. The results obtained are the design of the building as a "Grit Improvement Space". The main program in this project is the Experimental Room, Workshop, and Exhibition along with the supporting programs namely Co-Working Space, Library, and Late Night Street Food. Keywords: grit; human; permeability; social AbstrakPermasalahan dalam kehidupan manusia salah satunya individualisme. Hal ini disebabkan karena manusia terlalu banyak menghabiskan waktunya di tempat kerja dan di rumah, maka orang akan jarang sekali melakukan kegiatan sosial. Dengan adanya media sosial juga menyebabkan manusia bersosialisasi satu sama lain. Permasalahan utama yang akan dibahas di proyek ini adalah "Open Architecture sebagai Third Place" yang membahas bagaimana cara menciptakan tempat ketiga sebagai tempat untuk manusia saling bersosialisasi satu sama lain dan juga sebagai tempat publik informasi. Isu yang diangkat dalam proyek ini adalah mengenai "Grit" dimana orang dapat belajar cara menumbuhkan grit di dalam dirinya untuk mencapai goals yang mereka ingin capai di masa depan. Lokasi proyek berada di Jalan Tanjung Duren Utara. Tapak ini cukup strategis untuk proyek third place ini karena berdekatan dengan First Place dan Second Place sehingga proyek ini dapat menjadi rembesan (permeabilitas). Di proyek third place ini diharapkan orang bisa menumbuhkan grit dalam dirinya sehingga mereka bisa mencapai targetnya dalam hidup mereka dan dapat mencapai tujuan hidupnya yang telah mereka tentukan. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian adalah Survey Lapangan, Studi Literatur, dan Studi Preseden. Hasil penelitian yang didapatkan adalah perancangan bangunan sebagai "Tempat Pengembangan Grit". Program utama dalam proyek ini adalah Experimental Room, Workshop, dan Pameran. Lalu juga ada program pendukung yaitu Co - Working Space, Library, dan Late Night Street Food.