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2001 Volume 2 Number 1 DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR EVALUATION OF UNDERGROUND PIPELINE CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGIES Gokhale, Sanjiv Department of Construction Technology, Purdue University, School of Engineering and Technology, USA Hastak, Makarand Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, USA Abstract The two catalysts that have spurred a boom in the construction of underground conduits in the United States has been the demand for natural gas and voice/data telecommunication networks. Traditional construction methods of underground conduits have included plowing and trenching. However, when environmentally sensitive areas are encountered or when working in urban areas with a congested utility corridor, the traditional methods can become unfeasible. Trenchless technology (TT) consists of a wide range of methods, materials, and equipment to install new underground pipelines and utility systems with minimal excavation of the ground. One such method is horizontal directional drilling (HDD). The development, selection, and utilization of horizontal directional drilling (HDD) technology has expanded rapidly over this past decade. The reason for this exceptional growth is the desire to install underground conduits with minimum impact on society and the environment. The benefits of HDD are quite apparent when compared to the conventional construction process. However, it is necessary to evaluate the suitability and appropriateness of HDD methods, on a project-to-project basis by considering all the criteria important for the decision task. This paper presents a framework for a decision support system to assist construction managers in selecting the most appropriate technology for a project by systematically evaluating five groups of criteria and subcriteria with respect to the knowledge based preference of the user and the project specific situation. A CRITICAL APPRAISAL OF THE BRIEFING PROCESS IN CONSTRUCTION John M. Kamara and Chimay J. Anumba Centre for Innovative Construction Engineering, Department of Civil and Building Engineering, Loughborough University, Loughborough, LE11 3TU, UK Abstract The briefing process involves the elicitation and communication of client requirements. It is an important aspect of the construction process as it contributes to project success and client satisfaction. However, it is widely acknowledged to be inadequate, and this has led to various efforts to improve it. This paper appraises the current process of briefing in the UK construction industry with a view to understanding why there are limitations in current practice. Case studies and an industry survey are used to investigate the briefing process and to identify the limitations in current practice. The paper concludes that the identified limitations can be addressed through a client requirements processing model, which can facilitate the precise definition, analysis and translation of client requirements into a format that enhances their encapsulation into the project process. USING BENCHMARKING TO FACILITATE STRATEGIC IT IMPLEMENTATION IN CONSTRUCTION ORGANISATIONS RODNEY STEWART AND SHERIF MOHAMED School of Engineering, Griffith University, Queensland, Australia Abstract An IT benchmarking and IT performance measurement (ITPM) culture needs to be instilled in modern construction organisations to evaluate and justify IT implementation. This paper discusses the strategic implementation of IT benchmarking and ITPM. Firstly it highlights the importance of IT benchmarking at three levels; internal, external, and at the project level. Secondly, it focuses on ITPM at decision-making tiers of a construction organisation. Due to the nature of the construction industry, it is difficult to define distinctive decision-making tiers within a construction organisation. However, the most commonly used decision-making tiers are the ENTERPRISE, BUSINESS UNIT and PROJECT levels. This paper argues that a tiered ITPM approach offers several advantages, including (1) alignment of IT measures with organisational objectives, (2) systematic linkage among IT measures and enterprise, business unit, project, and individual objectives, and (3) enhanced communication and understanding of IT performance measurement throughout the organisation. Tiering also has the added advantage of enabling performance accountability to take place and determines ITPM ownership lies. AN ANALYSIS OF THE DISTRIBUTION OF COST VARIANCE FOR BUILDING PROJECTS L.Y. Shen , N. Fisher, C.S. Sun ABSTRACT This paper examines the general distribution of cost variance (Cv) to building projects. Cost variance is due to the design-to-order nature of construction building projects. Whether the cost over-runs or under-runs, the result can have significant effects for both the client and contractor. Traditional research studies have resulted in rich literature in project cost management. This study establishes the normal distribution model of Cv according to the data collected on Hong Kong building projects. The normal distribution model of Cv leads to forming the control chart of Cv. Using the control chart, project client and contractor can identify whether the cost variance is due to abnormal causes or common management related factors. The chart is also used to monitor the causes of cost variance in the construction process of a project, thus adequate measures can be adopted to minimize the final cost variance. PREQUALIFICATION CRITERIA: A SURVEY OF UK CONSTRUCTION PRACTITIONERS¡¦ OPINIONS Chee H. Wong, Gary D. Holt and Phil Harris Built Environment Research Unit, School of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of Wolverhampton Abstract Contractor prequalification is often perceived a divergent discipline and varies considerably among UK construction practitioners. As a result, prequalification standards do not necessarily comply with the recommendations of good guidance documents. Moreover, types of prequalification criteria used and levels of importance attached to them, are largely based upon individuals¡¦ preferences and experiential judgement. A detailed literature identified forty-five widely used criteria. These formed the basis of an empirical survey, to investigate opinions of UK construction practitioners regarding prequalification criteria usage and levels of importance. The results are summarised and tested via statistical procedures. Results show that the levels of importance emphasised were significantly different for some of the observed criteria, among the opinions of the public clients, private clients, clients¡¦ representatives and contractor organisations in building and civil engineering works. PRODUCTIVITY OF READY MIXED CONCRETE PLACING IN SINGAPORE Shou Qing Wang1, George Ofori2 and Cheng Lian Teo3 1 and 2: Department of Building, National University of Singapore 3: Department of Construction, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China. Abstract Ready mixed concrete (RMC) placing is a major on-going operation on construction projects in many countries. This is particularly true of the big city of Singapore where huge re-housing and development programs call for vast quantities of concrete while many building sites in the city are very short of space and there is simply no room for a site-batching plant and stockpiles of aggregates and storage of cement. Concrete must be batched remotely and delivered to sites by truckmixers. The productivity of RMC placing is therefore of great importance to the productivity improvement of the whole construction industry of each country. This paper reports on a study undertaken at the end of 1999 on the productivity and utilization of labor and equipment resources in the placing of in-situ RMC in Singapore. The study involved close observation of 32 pours on building sites, each from its beginning to end. Much detailed productivity information was derived and different concrete placing methods were compared. Factors affecting the RMC placing performance were also studied. Benchmarks, which describe the current state of RMC placing in Singapore were produced not only for measuring progress of RMC placing productivity over time but also for making comparisons with other large cities. MANAGING PRECAST CONCRETE COMPONENTS: JUST-IN-TIME DELIVERIES AND SITE LAYOUT FOR CONSTRUCTION Low Sui Pheng and Choong Joo Chuan School of Building and Real Estate, National University of Singapore Abstract The Just-In-Time (JIT) philosophy holds tremendous potentials for improving the movement of precast concrete components from the prefabrication yard to, and within, the construction site. The space constraints for storage and the traffic congestion at the worksite can then be alleviated. By means of a detailed case study, this paper provides an insight into the shortfalls of logistics management as practised by a main contractor in handling precast concrete components. Observations are drawn as to how the JIT philosophy can be rationalized with the deliveries and management of precast concrete components to achieve more efficient management in site layout. SELECTING SERVICE PROVIDERS FOR BUILDING WORK ¡V AN ANALYSIS OF DETERMINANTS IN NEW SOUTH WALES (AUSTRALIA) STEVE HARFIELD AND JACOB OLUWOYE Faculty of Design, Architecture & Building, University Of Technology, Sydney Abstract This paper identifies determinants of and explores client attitudes to the selection of service providers for building works in New South Wales (Australia). Drawing on data derived from a survey conducted by Crawford et.al. in1995, the aims of the paper are twofold: (1) to offer a critique of the original survey techniques and (2) to provide an analysis of the range of responses gathered to determine extant connections with the building industry and identify choice mechanisms in relation to the selection of service providers. Identifying the three most commonly cited providers of such services as architects, building designers and draftspersons, the authors investigate public perceptions and understanding of the differences in services expected of and provided by each, and the relative likelihood of selection of each provider under given conditions. The paper concludes that drafting services and the work of draftsperson¡¦s was most clearly defined, whereas building design services were least clearly defined. The role of the architect within this context is explained. ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY OF SINGAPORE Lee Yang Yen Housing and Development Board, HDB Centre, SINGAPORE George Ofori School of Building & Real Estate, National University of Singapore ABSTRACT The growing importance of entrepreneurship is the result of a global awareness of increasing competition in the business environment. Given the policy objective to develop Singapore into a major node in global business and a total business centre, the need for the entrepreneurial spirit is more real than ever. This paper studies the concept of entrepreneurship and examines the characteristics of construction entrepreneurs in Singapore. It seeks to provide insights into the entrepreneurs¡¦ motivations for joining the industry, their success factors and the barriers. The research was based on a mailed questionnaire survey and interviews. It was found that the main characteristics of a construction entrepreneur in Singapore are high need for achievement, self-confidence, and innovativeness. Moreover, construction entrepreneurs are ¡¥pulled¡¦ to set up their businesses, not ¡¥pushed¡¦ to do so. It is recommended that policy makers should examine and address the particular needs of construction entrepreneurs. A SIMULATION MODEL FOR CONSTRUCTION JOINT VENTURE PROJECTS IN CHINA Hao JianLi and David Scott Department of Building & Real Estate, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Abstract Although joint ventures have been the most popular way of doing business in the Chinese construction and real estate market, as complex projects, they involve a massive amount of data. This paper is based on a study, which is to investigate the better use of information for construction joint venture projects in China. The development of a system dynamic model, suitable for assessing the impact of information for construction joint venture projects in China, is described in the paper. The intention is that such a model will assist in identifying the most influential items of information needed for investors to set up and process construction joint venture projects in China, which in turn will improve the performance of Chinese construction joint venture projects. |