A research frontier in landscape architecture: landscape performance and assessment of social benefits

This paper introduces a research frontier in landscape architecture—landscape performance benefits assessment. In an initiative proposed by the Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF), leading landscape architecture firms and academic institutions have been collaborating on studies that quantitatively assess environmental, economic and social benefits of high-profile landscape design projects. This study describes the components and processes of LAF landscape performance research and specifically evaluates the status of social benefits assessment, a critical though under-investigated aspect of landscape design sustainability. Using 58 published LAF case studies, the study examines to what extent social benefits are quantified compared with stated design goals, the benefits across the LAF case portfolio (e.g. per benefit category and project type), and methods and data options available to perform the analyses. Finally, the study provides suggestions on improving landscape performance research, particularly social benefits, in the enterprise of achieving evidence-based designs that are anchored in quantitative performance measures.     

Implementing commercial information exchange: a construction supply chain case study

The concept of electronic trading (e-trading) has transformed supply chain interactions in many industries, yet little research explored its implementation by Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) supply chain firms. E-trading relies on commercial information exchange by supply chain partners which is generally adopted through intermediary technology partners (Hub Providers) to facilitate the accurate and timely communication of transactional data between buyers and supplier. A case study was conducted to explore the challenges and barriers to implementation of cross-firm commercial information exchange. The study primarily involved investigation of the interfaces between software development and organizational functions assisting with the electronic exchange of commercial information (eCIX) implementation. Findings from the case study show that implementation of commercial information exchange is not an easy task with several themes of factors to be considered during delivery of such projects, namely technical, coordination, integration and organizational. The study contributes to the knowledge and deployment of e-trading solutions within the context of AEC firms, and should be of interest to the practitioners contemplating similar projects.     

Recycled water: potential health risks from volatile organic compounds and use of 1,4-dichlorobenzene as treatment performance indicator

Characterisation of the concentrations and potential health risks of chemicals in recycled water is important if this source of water is to be safely used to supplement drinking water sources. This research was conducted to: (i) determine the concentration of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in secondary treated effluent (STE) and, post-reverse osmosis (RO) treatment and to; (ii) assess the health risk associated with VOCs for indirect potable reuse (IPR). Samples were examined pre and post-RO in one full-scale and one pilot plant in Perth, Western Australia. Risk quotients (RQ) were estimated by expressing the maximum and median concentration as a function of the health value. Of 61 VOCs analysed over a period of three years, twenty one (21) were detected in STE, with 1,4-dichlorobenzene (94%); tetrachloroethene (88%); carbon disulfide (81%) and; chloromethane (58%) most commonly detected. Median concentrations for these compounds in STE ranged from 0.81 μg/L for 1,4-dichlorobenzene to 0.02 μg/L for carbon disulphide. After RO, twenty six (26) VOCs were detected, of which 1,4-dichlorobenzene (89%); acrylonitrile (83%) chloromethane (63%) and carbon disulfide (40%) were the more frequently detected. RQ(max) were all below health values in the STE and after RO. Median removal efficiency for RO was variable, ranging from −77% (dichlorodifluoromethane) to 91.2% (tetrachloroethene). The results indicate that despite the detection of VOCs in STE and after RO, their human health impact in IPR is negligible due to the low concentrations detected. The results indicate that 1,4-dichlorobenzene is a potential treatment chemical indicator for assessment of VOCs in IPR using RO treatment.     

Living in highly dynamic polluted river floodplains, do contaminants contribute to population and community effects?

The aim of this paper was to collect evidence for the effects of contaminants on biota in a highly dynamic river Rhine floodplain. To this purpose we reviewed the results of circa 10 studies performed in this floodplain. The floodplain was contaminated with elevated levels of cadmium, copper, PAHs, and PCBs and high levels of zinc which were at some sites above legislative values. The results showed that the present contaminants were accumulated by the floodplain inhabiting organisms, but meanwhile population and community effects were ambiguous. Only for the mayfly Ephoron virgo clear effects were detected at the level of the single floodplain. The absence of clear population and community effects is puzzling since at lower contaminant concentrations adverse effects were detected in other environments. Factors that may mask toxic effects include flooding and food quality and quantity. We conclude that given the site specific conditions, being an open, eutrophic system with a highly dynamic flooding pattern, assessment of the contribution of toxicants to observed population density or biomass and community composition requires 1] an increase in number of replicates; 2] a larger scale of investigation and 3] comparison to stable systems with comparable contamination levels.     

Determination of mercury methylation potentials in the water column of lakes across Canada

A stable isotope technique was used to trace the formation of methylmercury in lake water incubation assays at in situ conditions in five lakes across Canada. Methylation activity was only detected in the anoxic hypolimnia of lakes. The stable isotope was methylated at varying rates between lakes and depths within lakes ranging from 0.56%/day to 14.8%/day. A peak in methylation potential was typically observed just below the oxycline, which decreased with increasing depth. The depth and rates of methylation potential changed seasonally with no methylation activity occurring after fall turnover. A decrease in the sulfate concentration was concomitant with the zone of mercury methylation potential indicating the likely involvement of sulfate reducing bacteria in the methylation process. A simple correlation test between DOC concentrations and methylation rates indicated a positive relationship (r2=0.62; p=0.006; n=27). The demethylation rate constant in the anoxic hypolimnia was less than 0.12 d(-1).     

Optimal placement of controllers for seismic structures

Active control devices can be implemented on seismic structures to reduce structural response from earthquakes. Certain locations of the structure are advantageous for placement of the controllers in the sense that these locations effectively reduce structural response while using the minimum control effort. A method is proposed which uses an empirical procedure to find the optimal locations by maximizing an optimal locations index. The method takes into consideration the modal responses and earthquake spectra for two different earthquake records. The proposed method is compared to two methods; in the first method a control energy performance index is minimized; the second method uses a minimum response performance index as the criterion. The proposed method is found to agree with the two alternative methods and saves computation time.     

马尼托瓦克移动式起重机专用KZ~(TM)100型缆绳

正在CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2014上,马尼托瓦克展示了配备KZT~(TM)100型缆绳的Grove RT770E型起重机。KZ~(TM)100型缆绳是首次专为移动式起重机设计的合成纤维卷扬缆绳,这项创新成果由马尼托瓦克携手合成纤维缆绳制造商Samson公司共同研制,由马尼托瓦克独家销售,从2014年下半年开始作为Grove系列越野起重机的选购件供应给客户。KZ~(TM)100型卷扬缆绳具有许多优点:质量比钢丝绳轻80%:采用转矩中性平衡结构,可消除负荷旋转和缆绳缠绕     

Florence Duomo project (1420–1436): Learning best project management practice from history

This paper narrates the project management of the construction of the Florence Duomo by Filippo Brunelleschi in the fifteenth century. This was the most significant dome project in Europe in 1300 years, and possibly the most significant, innovative and complex project of the Renaissance era (Colombo and Lanzavecchia, 1997). It still stands as the largest brick dome ever built. In order to achieve what seemed technically impossible at the time, Brunelleschi researched and adapted the construction and project management of the Pantheon in Rome in the second century. The paper allows us in turn to learn both product and process innovation from this case study, both of which are essential to contemporary project management practice. The case is valuable in understanding key drivers of project management success, and illustrates the substantial potential for learning, and therefore knowledge transfer, from previous historical projects and experiences.     

Adaptive programme management through a balanced performance/strategy oriented focus

This paper explores how programme management (as opposed to project management) can contribute to the effective design and delivery of megaprojects. Traditionally, project management is considered to be performance focused and task oriented, whilst programme management entails a more strategic focus. The programme management literature suggests that this can result in tensions between the management of the projects and the programme as a whole. This paper uses the findings of the €2.4 billion Room for the River flood protection programme in the Netherlands as a case study, because indicators about its budget, time, quality and stakeholder satisfaction suggest high programme management performance upon completion of the planning and design stage of its 39 river widening projects. Based on a literature review, document analysis and 55 face-to-face interviews, we have analysed how the programme management of the programme contributed to this result. Six attributes for effective programme management that are identified from the project and programme management literature are used to structure the research data. Consecutively, the interactions between project and programme management are analysed. The analysis of Room for the River reveals a combined strategic/performance focus at the level of both programme and project management that enables a collaborative approach between programme and project management. This particularly enables effective stakeholder collaboration, coordination and adaptation of the programme to contextual changes, newly acquired insights and the changing needs of consecutive planning stages, which positively contributes to the performance of the programme as a whole.