Stainless and other high quality steels are used extensively in the topside construction of oil rigs. Steel is heavy, expensive and even the special grades are prone to corrosion in the aggressive marine environment. New materials are needed which are lighter, more cost effective and free from corrosion related problems. Glass fibre reinforced plastics (GRP) have the required properties but their performance in fire conditions is not known. Fire is a very real and possibly catastrophic threat. Before specifying the use of GRP components it is essential to quantify their reaction to fire. Panels and pipes to be used in fire risk areas were the components of interest, and the objectives of the research, based on experimental testing, were as follows: 1) To evaluate GRP laminates for use as structural panel skins, noting their structural and fire performance. 2)To develop incombustible, low cost cores for sandwich panels. 3) To produce sandwich panel design proposals which satisfy specified fire exposure requirements. 4)To assess the fire performance of empty and dry, stagnant water filled and flowing water filled polymer composite pipes with or without fire protection. 5) To use finite difference modelling as part of the design process for fire exposed pipes and panels. Factors of water content for hygroscopic cores and the ablation mechanism of fire exposed GRP were taken account of. 6) To assess the validity of the standard furnace fire resistance test with respect to combustible materials, and with respect to the reproducibility of results between different furnace arrangements.

It has often been recognised that planning and design can play an important role in the achievement of sustainable development of cities. However, problems still exist with regards to both a clear understanding of sustainability in the built environment and a means of evaluating it within the context of urban planning and design. This thesis has compared different evaluation methods in urban planning, both ex ante approaches and monitoring, and their philosophical paradigms. Some significant limitations are identified and discussed in the context of sustainability, such as the reductionism within many of the approaches and the lack of holism in the evaluation. The identified deficiencies provide the motivation for the development of a new framework which is able to integrate the different dimensions of sustainability in the built environment. This is based on the Cosmonomic theory of Dooyeweerd which has proved to be more appropriate than other philosophical paradigms in achieving this task. The theory is applied to the built environment for understanding sustainability and developing a framework in planning evaluation. The framework helps decision makers to critically identifSr the sustainability aspects involved in a (re)development planning project, guiding them in the evaluation on the basis of a number of problem solving methods. Some existing case studies are adopted to show the benefits of the framework in the context of regeneration programmes for cities, management policies for cultural heritage and environmental services. The resulting framework provides a significant step forward in understanding and evaluating the built environment in the context of a sustainable urban development. It also has the potential to allow evaluation of the concept of sustainability over time.

The research is divided into two parts. In the first part the structural behaviour of sandwich beams using timber-based facings and foamed plastic cores was studied. Various available theories were examined and the most appropriate theory for this type of panel was identified. In an extensive test programme the relevant properties of the constituent materials were measured and the data used in the proposed theory of structural behaviour to predict beam deflections and core and facing stresses. Corresponding sandwich beam tests were carried out on the range of skin/core combinations and the theoretical and experimental behaviours were compared. Good agreement was confirmed within the range of span/depth ratios investigated, confirming the applicability of the theory for semi-thick timber-based facings. A variety of timber based facings were investigated and those most suitable for sandwich construction were identified. This type of panel construction has many advantages but lacks the benefit of good fire resistance. The recF.iired fire resistance could be provided by a suitable core material. Part two of the research concentrated on the development of a new core material which was intended to have good structural properties at reasonable density, and to have adequate fire resistance free from the production of smoke and toxic fumes. Coated paper honeycombs were chosen for the study. The properties of the constituent materials were investigated in detail and then the structural properties of the developed cores were measured using methods drawn from national and international standards. One particular coating combination proved to be effective in terms of stiffness, fire resistance, freedom from micro cracking and strength retention at high temperature. This was based on a mixture of sodium silicate and ball clay. Cores were tested both with cells empty (to be blocked by intumescence) and with cells filled (e.g. with lightweight filler). In the best of the developed cores, shear stiffness and transverse stiffness were much higher than in normal core materials. On the basis of the test programme, panels can be designed to give a fire resistance defined by insulation of up to two hours.

There is a growing consensus that appropriate strategies and actions are needed to develop sustainable built environments and construction activity. This thesis contextualises this consensus within the broader sustainable development literature. First, the review of the literature culminates in the development of the Holographic Dynamic PSR (pressure, state, response) model as a holistic, system-orientated framework to better understand the focus of, and interaction between, stakeholders' worldviews and actions to progress sustainable development. Second, five systemically linked hypotheses are articulated to test the argument that the current body of research knowledge is not sufficiently focused and integrated to support progressive, significant and balanced sustainable development. The hypotheses are tested using built environment and construction activity specific literature, through a 'nested' research methodology comprising an interpretative philosophy, a soft systems research approach and literature review and synthesis research techniques. The thesis substantially supports the overall argument mapped out by the hypotheses, and proposes both a generic dynamic research agenda framework to progress sustainable development in general; and a UK prioritised research agenda for sustainable built environments and construction activity.

The lack of a buildability evaluation at the design stage coupled with the separation of the design and construction processes have been acknowledged to cause buildability problems on site. Normally, designers view of their task, is to develop a masterpiece which satisfies the functional requirements of a project while constructors consider their task as construction works, which need to be completed at the lowest price. No significant efforts have been made to bring the design and construction processes together to facilitate the integration of information for the improvement of the overall project performance. This study proposes an integrated framework for construction planning which is capable of exchanging information with other construction disciplines and generating planning information in an integrated construction environment. Planning data and processes were first modelled using object oriented analysis methodology, i.e. Martin (1993), where the emphasis was placed on both the data and its behaviour. This development was carried out within a general integrated framework which facilitates the integration between the various construction application across the project life cycle. The developed models highlight the importance and the role of the planning process which is vital in providing relevant information to other disciplines. Moreover, the study proposes a quantitative approach for a buildability evaluation based on the information available within the integrated environment. It evaluates the design solutions from the construction view, as outlined in the construction plan. The qualitative principles of buildability improvements were adopted to formalise this approach. A combination of weightings and scores were assigned to building elements to reflect their buildability factors. The developed data and process models, were implemented in an object oriented environment as part of a single integrated construction environment SPACE (Simultaneous Prototyping for An Integrated Construction Environment) where CONPLAN (Intelligent CONstruction PLANning for design rationalisation) is one of the SPACE modules. CONPLAN automatically generates the construction planning information and the buildability reports. The former can be dynamically accessed either through a planning package or visualised in a virtual space using a virtual reality package. The buildability reports can be either displayed in a textual or graphical format.

Property developers, investors and financiers usually have reservations about the investment performance of rehabilitated and refurbished properties.This is due to the uncertainties introduced by low rental income, higher yields and shorter leases associated with secondhand properties. This situation is thought to be changing as more and more successful schemes are reported in the property and business press. What is changing attitudes is the improved economics of refurbishment schemes. Occupiers are seeking to reduce occupancy costs after the last recession. Rehabilitated properties which can offer facilities comparable to new build but at a fraction of new build rents are therefore becoming attractive. Furthermore, recent innovations in services and communication technology is making it possible to service older properties to the same level as new buildings. This is creating investment value in buildings that might otherwise have remained unlet. Despite the improved situation, there seemed to be no formal framework to aid building rehabilitation versus redevelopment decisions in the private commercial property sector. The critical decision determinants are scattered over several publications. What this research has done is to assemble all factors within a single framework. Examining the nature of buildings, it is apparent that different groups evaluate buildings differently. To some they are symbols of prestige or image and to others they help create the environment we live in. Yet more, some see buildings as shelters and investment assets. In the private sector, the main actors that influence property development are occupiers, developers and investors. Each of these actors evaluate buildings on different criteria. This makes the building rehabilitate-redevelop decision a conflicting multi-criteria problem. The framework created by this research is therefore based on Multiattribute utility theory (MAUT). The research identified the objectives of building renewal from the perspectives of occupiers, developers and investors using the principles of value-focused thinking. The common indicators linking these objectives became the decision attributes over which utility and value functions are to be created. By the research results, the option chosen in the decision scenario described above is determined by the attributes: profit, maintenance cost, energy cost, floor to floor height, floorplate area, floor load-bearing capacity, floorplate width and on-site car parking provisions. The preferred option is the one that maximises the subjective value of the decision maker over these attributes.

Background: Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is a combination of the smoke exhaled by smokers and the smoke burning from a cigarette, cigar or pipe that is not being inhaled. It contains over 4000 chemicals many of them being known carcinogens and toxins. The recently-identified hazards of ETS have resulted in the implementation of new legislation to protect non-smokers’ health in jurisdictions worldwide. Purpose: This study tests the hypothesis that legislation eliminating ETS from all enclosed public places improves the health of hospitality workers. Methods: This is a descriptive, case-series study, which investigates tobacco smoke exposure in non-smoking hospitality workers in Canada and Italy. Data was obtained by testing workers for levels of carbon monoxide before and immediately after working in venues where smoking was permitted and was not permitted. Workers also provided information on respiratory and sensory irritation symptoms. Conclusion: Legislation eliminating ETS improves the health of hospitality industry workers.

Typescript. / Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1990. / Includes bibliographical references. / Microfiche. / xix, 209 leaves, bound 29 cm

This portfolio concentrates on the experiences of administrative staff in universities. The aim of the portfolio is to examine the work and work experiences of administrative staff in the three universities in South Australia, particularly in the light of increased corporatisation of universities over the last fifteen years. Administrative staff are rarely discussed in the literature focused on universities as organisations and workplaces and yet they constitute over half the staff in Australian universities. They are growing in visibility and importance as universities become more corporate in their operation and structure. New occupations have come into existence as a result of the commercialisation of higher education and the accompanying increased government surveillance has resulted in greater professionalisation of administration and administrative work roles. This research brings these changes to the working lives of administrative staff in universities into focus and places their stories at its centre. / This portfolio consists of a series of three sequential interrelated reports, each of which takes a particular approach to the working lives of administrative staff in universities. “Research report 1: The Invisible Workers: Representations of administrative workers in the literature around higher education” analyses a range of literature- academic, journalistic, government and fictional in the light of four discourses which are part of the meta-discourse of corporate managerialism. / “Research Report 2: Who Keeps the Organisation Running?: Interviews about the working lives of administrative staff in universities” analyses a collection of interviews with administrative staff undertaken over a six month period across the three South Australian universities using a hybrid method based on grounded theory. / “Research Report 3: Tell me a Story: A narrative analysis of stories in interviews” uses narrative analysis of stories told in interviews used in “Research Report 2” to gain a greater understanding of experiences common to workers located in specific universities and across the sector. “Meta-analysis: This is My Song: An auto-ethnographic account of the research project” is approached as an auto-ethnography of my own work story interwoven with the experiences of participants and selected literature to link together the findings of the first three Reports. / This portfolio adds to the corpus of knowledge around the work of administrative staff in universities by illustrating a gap in the literature and addressing this by using the descriptions of experiences of some administrative staff in the three South Australian universities to gain a greater understanding of how they view universities as work sites. / Thesis (PhDEducation)--University of South Australia, 2005.

Thesis (MEd)--University of South Australia, 1993