Innovation in Construction Engineering Education Using Two Applications of Internet-Based Information Technology to Provide Real-Time Project Observations

Improvements in construction engineering education result when innovative information technologies are incorporated into academic curricula. Through the use of internet-based communication technologies, no longer must students physically travel to a construction project site to observe and hear construction operations. This paper discusses two applications of internet-based, audio and video technologies currently being piloted at Iowa State University (ISU) and at the University of Calgary (UC) for the purpose of bringing live construction projects into the university classroom. Virtual Project Tours have been piloted at Iowa State University in which real-time video and audio are delivered from active construction projects to a remote classroom through the internet. The second application discussed in this paper, Virtual Supervision, is being piloted at the University of Calgary and consists of the monitoring and analysis of construction projects by using imagery gathered by web-enabled, digital cameras of fixed location transmitting video through the internet. This paper also presents a vision of a globally networked organization of engineering and construction education institutions each sharing the unique engineering and building techniques of their respective part of the globe with design and construction students located around the world. This exchange of construction project observations among the institutions will be enabled by the internet-based applications of virtual project tours and virtual supervision systems described in this paper.     

Construction Engineering Process and Knowledge Requirements for Fostering Creative Design Solutions on Infrastructure Projects

Construction engineering for major infrastructure projects covers a wide range of activities to evaluate and select the techniques for assembling materials and components. Construction engineering inherently presents a very challenging opportunity for creative design, particularly on infrastructure projects. This construction engineering activity can be described as one of creating and developing workable, cost-effective, low-risk technical solutions for an array of infrastructure construction problems that must be solved from the plans and specifications stage through facility completion. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate a 10-step construction engineering process and define important knowledge requirements to foster creative design solutions using four case studies, including (1) positioning and holding a concrete bridge caisson in a 7-knot tidal current for a 4-month period; (2)?skidding a 55,000-t immersed tube tunnel element 200?m on dry land from casting site to launch site; (3)?building a major dam without the use of river diversion or on-site dewatering systems; and (4)?building underwater bridge piers without the use of conventional bottom-founded cofferdams. The creative design process was able to successfully devise a plan for solving highly technical construction challenges using a process-based approach. The key requirements of knowledge, skill, and experience necessary to perform these activities are presented to assist construction engineers in preparing for these creative opportunities.     

In-House Delivery of Multiple-Small Reconstruction Projects

As compared with new construction, reconstruction of operational facilities exhibits a higher challenge, particularly when multiple projects are involved. For owner organizations involved in such projects, use of in-house resources versus outside contractors has been a major dilemma, with each approach having its potential benefits. This paper uses a real-life case study approach to investigate the delivery of 800 small reconstruction projects using in-house forces. Details are described related to the prioritization, budgeting, organization structure, and the mechanisms used for staff allocation. It was found that the main characteristics of projects that are best delivered by in-house forces include high urgency and inadequate scope definition. Outsourcing this type of projects exposes the owner to a large number of changes and their consequent cost overruns/delays. Based on the case study, the challenges facing in-house delivered projects and the factors that contribute to their success were investigated and outlined. To verify the findings a questionnaire survey among similar organizations is conducted and its results discussed.     

Utility-Function Model for Engineering Performance Assessment

Engineering and design activities constitute a critical link in a project’s life cycle. Thus, an efficient project control system requires an instrument to measure and assess engineering performance among different projects. In conventional industry practices, the measurement of engineering performance is usually tied to the production of design documents during the detailed design phase of the project. Realizing the far-reaching impacts of engineering activities, researchers in the past have investigated other comprehensive measures of engineering performance that address the entire project life cycle. As part of a study for the Construction Industry Institute, this particular research employs a multiple attribute utility function method for the collective assessment of engineering performance in construction projects. The paper begins with a summary of previous studies in the area of engineering performance measurement and assessment. Afterwards, the concept of engineering performance is thoroughly explained. The paper then reviews the background and basic theories of using utility functions in assessing engineering performance, along with an illustrative example of the functionality of this approach. The paper goes on to show the development of the utility function model for the industrial construction sector through expert opinion and real project data. The use of the model is further illustrated in the assessment of total and relative engineering performance. Lastly, conclusions of this study are drawn and potential future work is pointed out.     

Implementation of Project Management in Public Engineering Organization

The Bureau of Engineering is a part of the City of Los Angeles' Department of Public Works and is responsible for the planning, design, and construction management of capital improvement projects for the city. In February 1997, the Bureau of Engineering executive staff and the Board of Public Works mandated a dramatic shift to improve project delivery. All of the non-wastewater elements of the Bureau were organized into a program-based matrix organization with a Project Manager as the focus for project delivery with project conception-to-conclusion responsibility. This paper describes the project management method of project delivery being implemented at the City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering and explains the implementation elements and their status. The paper reviews the new project management organizational structure and the organizational options considered by the Bureau. The work details the roles and responsibilities for the project delivery team members. The new tools used to manage projects are described, and the problems and solutions encountered are documented for use on future engineering management efforts.     

What Prompts Construction Innovation?

Current and expected chailenges on large engineering and construction projects demand innovative methods for improved performance. Analyses of several examples of innovative engineering and construction techniques for nuclear generating plant projects as presented. The findings based on those analyses identify not only conditions that favor innovation, but also those that appear to restrict the use of new techniques. The writer suggests guidelines for industry professionals and researchers to follow, in order to promote engineering and construction innovation.     

Intravitreal sustained-release cyclosporine in the treatment of experimental uveitis

Nine building projects are briefly described, including four new libraries, two renovations, and three combined renovations and additions. The libraries range in size from 657 square feet to 136,832 square feet, with seating varying from 14 to 635. Three hospital libraries and four academic health sciences libraries are described in more detail. In each case an important consideration was the provision for computer access. Two of the libraries expanded their space for historical collections. Three of the libraries added mobile shelving as a way of storing print materials while providing space for other activities.     

Pedagogy of Teaching Value Management in Postgraduate Construction and Property Program

As value management (VM) has been increasingly applied to enhance value in public construction projects, the core subject entitled “Value Management for Construction and Property” is being offered to postgraduate students in the Department of Building and Real Estate at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Under the new outcome-based curriculum, the learning outcomes, pedagogy of teaching VM, and activities of the VM workshops for the subject are described in this paper. The results of a questionnaire survey of the students’ feedback on the performance of the workshops for the academic year 2007–2008 are presented and discussed. Students believed that value management workshops are essential in the curriculum. They expressed that it was a valuable experience to participate in the VM workshop which enabled them to have a better understanding of the subject. Some improvement is also recommended for future organization and management of workshops based on the lessons learned in these workshops.     

Team approach to total parenteral nutrition

The organization, function, and results of a total parenteral nutrition (TPN) team consisting of a surgical staff physician, a senior surgery resident, a nurse and a pharmacist are described. The TPN team has treated 160 patients. The incidence of septicemia as a complication of TPN has been less than 1% and the rate of serious metabolic derangements of TPN has been 2.7% for electrolyte aberrations and 5% for significant glycosuria in this series. It is recommended that hospitals that cannot provide such a team should refer patients requiring TPN to a center with a TPN team.     

Organizing Large Projects: How Managers Decide

Now tools will help managers design organization structures for large engineering and construction projects. An improved understanding of how managers decide in structuring project organizations is necessary to develop these tools and to assist managers in the systematic design of organizations tailored to meet project goals under unique situations. This paper reports a portion of results from research conducted to determine current practices in project organization design. The conclusion that adaptation dominates this process leads to several implications for industry professionals and researchers wishing to improve project performance. Recognizing the role of adaptation in current practices of organizational structuring will allow managers to avoid inertia and systematically design organizations. Researchers can assist by expanding variables in organization theory to better capture project situation and structure and by developing new tools to assist in systematic organization design.     

Design Error Classification, Causation, and Prevention in Construction Engineering

Construction and engineering practitioners have found it increasingly difficult to learn from their mistakes, particularly with regard to the prevention, identification and/or containment of design errors. Yet, design errors have been the root cause of numerous catastrophic accidents that have resulted in the death and injury of workers and members of the public. This paper examines and classifies the nature of error and design error causation in construction and engineering projects. A review of the normative literature revealed that design errors are caused by an array of factors that can work interdependently. A generic framework is developed that classifies design error according to people, the organization, and project is presented. The paper suggests that people, over and above organizational and project management strategies, have the greatest propensity to reduce errors through the process of situated learning and knowing. This is because the working environment provided by an organization and the processes used to deliver construction and engineering projects influence the nature and ability of people to undertake tasks. Consequently, there is no single but rather a multitude of strategies that need to be adopted in congruence to reduce design errors so that safety and project performance are ameliorated.     

工业气源管路控制方案设计

针对工业现场用气设备气源管路控制的问题,以工程设计经验及现场应用实践为基础,介绍了三种控制方案:单点电磁阀控制型、集装阀控制型、现场总线阀岛控制型。通过实例分析了各方案的优点和缺点,并指出在“智能制造”时代现场总线阀岛是未来发展的趋势。     

基于全生命周期的绿色公路建设分析

深度分析了国内外交通行业碳排放清单及碳排放因子目录,结合中国交通行业特点,基于现有的公路工程估算指标及中国传统交通行业施工机械设备台班单价计算表,总结归纳符合中国交通行业特点的碳排放因子数据. 基于归因全生命周期评价方法（ALCA）,采用“自下而上”的公路工程碳排放计量思路,将公路工程项目建设期内工程活动分为分项工程–分部工程–单位工程,建立了公路工程建设期碳排放数据库及碳排放测算模型. 在此基础上,利用MATLAB搭建了公路工程碳排放智能估算软件并对国内两段支线高速公路的路面工程碳排放进行了估算分析,实现了仅通过公路里程量、工程方量和公路等级等信息即可快速估算并统计碳排放量,同时能够智能溯源各阶段碳排放要素并定位碳排放大户,为交通行业节能减排提供数据和理论基础. 分析显示,在路面工程中,稳定土基层和沥青路面面层的碳排放主导整体碳排放量,占据了99.6%以上,其中,以C32.5水泥为主的材料占据了75%左右的碳排放.     

Digital Image Analysis in Geotechnical Engineering Education

Existing research has shown that visual input significantly contributes to learning, therefore, it is paramount to use visual tools to help demonstrate engineering concepts. One of these tools, digital image analysis, can help effectively communicate complex concepts to students in a simple and understandable format as a supplement to traditional lecturing, while simultaneously enabling students to have hands-on experience. This note describes a series of activities to incorporate digital image analysis into engineering education. The undergraduate students worked in research projects that involved image-based analysis of geomaterials. Based on these activities and the students’ response to a questionnaire, it was recognized that digital image analysis can enhance the understanding of engineering phenomena for undergraduate students. The hands-on experience and visual demonstration improved the students’ grasp of fundamental concepts in research projects. The research experience allowed the students to build a connection between the classroom and the solution of state-of-the-art engineering scientific problems. It also taught them about cooperation and teamwork, as well as academic independence.     

Leadership Flexibility Space

A model is proposed for evaluating leadership capability, which is observed on a grid called the leadership flexibility space. Questionnaires were prepared and responses were received from engineers of the Public Works Department (PWD) for an applied study of their organization. The model evaluates two basic parameters: (1) decision making capability and (2) information input by group during decision making. Five types of leaders are evaluated: consultative autocrats, complete autocrats, consensus managers, impoverished managers, and active managers. Results showed that 70% of resident engineers/area engineers and over 46% of project engineers could be categorized as falling in the impoverished manager’s zone. These percentages might be slightly reduced if certain gray areas are granted to the zones; however, any such impact is not significant. Demographic evaluations are made for age group, number of projects handled in one’s career, number of projects handled at PWD, years of experience, years with PWD, years of design experience, marital status, and family encouragement. Among other findings, it was discovered that older engineers, and those who had handled more than 20 projects at PWD, tended to fall in the impoverished manager’s zone more than other engineers. Remedial measures are suggested.     

Construction Engineering—Reinvigorating the Discipline

Construction engineering is all about production, and producing something useful is the very reason for projects to exist. How then to explain why construction engineering has progressively fallen out of focus in construction project management education and research? For an answer, the development of the discipline of construction management since the 1950s must be understood, a development that yielded a non-production-oriented approach to project management, one that provides the currently accepted operating system for managing the work in projects. This paper first traces the history of the development of the traditional operating system and related commercial terms and organizational practices. It argues that traditional practices rest on an assumption that careful development of a project schedule, managing the critical path, and maximizing productivity within each activity will optimize project delivery in terms of cost and duration. Subsequently, an alternative operating system, developed and proposed by the Lean Construction community, is described. In contrast to the traditional approach, lean defers detailed planning until closer to the point of action, involves those who are to do the work in designing the production system and planning how to do it, aims to maximize project performance (not the pieces), and exploits breakdowns as opportunities for learning. The history of this development will be traced in broad strokes.     

某露天栈桥人工挖孔桩基础施工质量事故分析与处理

介绍韶钢某露天栈桥人工挖孔桩基础严重施工质量事故、事故的原因及加固处理方法,可供同类型结构设计、施工时参考.     

海湾地区第1个不锈钢冷轧厂低成本生产优质不锈钢冷轧产品

讨论了即将建在海湾地区的第1个不锈钢冷轧厂的有关投资准则,重点包括影响工厂的初始投资成本以及运行成本的因素,所有这些与选择可生产高质量产品的设备有关.本项目代表着海湾投资公司在大型项目投资建设方面向前迈进了一大步.海湾公司将这一全部交钥匙项目建设合同交给达涅利公司本身就表明双方的相互信任.这种相互信任是两家公司在项目执行运作过程建立起来的.目前已经组建了1家新公司来经营和运作新建的冷轧厂,这家公司就是联合不锈钢公司(USCO).     

真空冶金过程自动控制技术的进展

描述了若干真空冶金过程的测控技术，介绍了以精炼和熔炼为代表的一些典型真空冶金过程监控的新进展。结合有关项目实践，对真空冶金自动控制的未来进行了展望。