Master of Science

Current planning and scheduling techniques ignore the requirements of activities for work area or space. Any task or activity requires a specific work space for its execution. This demand is based on the space requirements of each resource allocated to the activity. When such required demand becomes unavailable, the activity or task can not be executed or, in some cases, is performed with a lower productivity rate. This is because performance and maneuvering of either crew or equipment may become difficult and sometimes not possible. This research provides a structured methodology to deal with the problem of limited work space availability. The research’s domain focuses on multi-story building construction with particular focus on the repetitive portion of the facility (i.e. typical floors). The research studies the issues of work space as a new decision factor for schedule generation in this type of construction. A scheduling model is developed to define and incorporate work space availability in the scheduling process. The model includes a method to quantify work space parameters (space demand and space availability) for any activity. The model also presents a procedure to compare space demand to availability and provide scheduling decisions to Sequence each activity based on these two parameters. The model allows for availability limits to be placed on resources required for the work by implementing limited resource scheduling techniques in the scheduling procedures. Horizontal and vertical logic constraints associated with repetitive work are also incorporated in the scheduling process of the model. Work continuity issues and varying productivity rates are used as scheduling decision options. The model adopts a procedure to schedule non-continuous activities using variable length segments along the typical floors. In addition, the model allows for adjusting the initial defined resource demand pools for different activities to account for any modifications that may occur to the activity duration during scheduling. Loss of productivity as a result of the combined effect of travel time and learning curve phenomena is also incorporated in the generation of the schedule by the model. The model is taken to a prototype proof of concept by developing SCaRC (Space Constrained and Resource Constrained) scheduling system. The system is implemented using a knowledge-based approach. / Ph. D.

The advent of performance-based codes in the United States underscores the need for a thorough, systematic approach to the documentation and accomplishment of a performance-based design. This project has three objectives: economic analysis of performance-based codes from a social view point, documentation of a performance-based design, and an example application of the ICC Performance-Based Code to high-rise office building. Economic issues explored include the externalities, insurance, and liabilities associated with performance-based codes. Documentation of a performance-based design includes delineation of the scope and goals with agreement between the designer, architect, building owner, and authority having jurisdiction, examination of the relevant code statutes, development of appropriate fire scenarios which meet the requirements of the performance matrices, thorough documentation of all design tool and calculation assumptions and limitations, and a clear demonstration of satisfactory accomplishment of stated goals and objectives. Finally, performance-based design alternatives to a prescriptively-designed 40 story office building were developed. There were three major design alternatives. The first design feature was the evacuation of occupants using elevators. The second alternative was the use of the assured fire safety system, which combined emerging technologies in fire detection, alarm, and suppression. The final design alternative was the routing of the domestic water supply through the sprinkler riser in order increase the reliability of the sprinkler system and save design, material, and installation costs associated with the domestic water supply risers. Finally, this project analyzed the specific life-cycle economic impact of the design alternatives when compared to the prescriptive design.

Lee Lai Wai, Angela. / "Architecture Department, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Master of Architecture Programme 2008-2009, design report." / Includes bibliographical references (leaf [80]). / Chapter 1 --- Geometrical Studies --- p.5 / Chapter 1.1 --- Previous Attempts --- p.6 / Chapter 1.2 --- "Shape, Shell and Core" --- p.12 / Definitions --- p.13 / Transformation --- p.16 / Interpretation --- p.22 / Manipulation --- p.29 / Variations --- p.34 / Chapter 2 --- Architectural Studies --- p.39 / Chapter 2.1 --- Demonstration --- p.41 / Chapter 2.2 --- Explorations --- p.49 / Chapter 3 --- Housing Design --- p.60

published_or_final_version / abstract / Earth Sciences / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

abstract / Architecture / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Nos últimos anos cresceu o interesse por construir edifícios cada vez mais altos, os quais estampam o poderio tecnológico e econômico das nações. Concomitantemente as estruturas se tornaram mais esbeltas e flexíveis e os fenômenos dinâmicos oriundos da ação do vento, que em edificações baixas não representam grande relevância no carregamento, começam a surgir e apresentar seus efeitos. Desta maneira, é importante conhecer como se desenvolve o escoamento do ar e a distribuição das pressões no entorno destas estruturas. Neste trabalho, caracteriza-se aerodinamicamente, através de dados oriundos de ensaios em túnel de vento, dois empreendimentos reais e presentes na engenharia nacional. Os carregamentos foram gerados através da integração simultânea de pressões e transformados em espectros de força, os quais auxiliam na visualização da energia cinética contida nas rajadas, na ocorrência de desprendimento cadenciado de vórtices, martelamento e na influência que as edificações vizinhas apresentam no escoamento. A análise é realizada local e globalmente, possibilitando verificar em que “zona”, ou faixa de altura, é mais significante para o carregamento da estrutura como um todo. O fenômeno de desprendimento de vórtices é caracterizado por um pico no espectro transversal à incidência do vento. Quando existem edificações ou obstáculos na região a barlavento, a estrutura pode ser martelada até a altura média destes obstáculos. Por fim, os resultados aqui apresentados podem servir de auxílio no pré-dimensionamento de estruturas com configurações similares, como comparativo e validação para pesquisas futuras e como referencial na elaboração de códigos normativos referentes ao tema. Destaca-se a importância de ensaios em túnel de vento, principalmente quando a estrutura a ser analisada possui um detalhamento arquitetônico complexo. Estes ensaios permitem ao projetista simular todos os casos de carregamento e os efeitos de vizinhança com maior confiabilidade e precisão em relação a métodos simplificados contidos, atualmente, em códigos e normas. / In recent years many high-rise buildings have been built, which are a way to represent the economic and technological power of nations. Concomitantly, the structures have become slender and more flexible, and the dynamic phenomena of wind, which in low buildings do not represent a great relevance in the loading, start to show their effects. In this way, it is extremely important to know how the wind flow and the pressure distribution occur around these structures. In this research, two real projects, present in the national engineering, are characterized aerodynamically through data from wind tunnel tests. The loadings were processed through the simultaneous integration of pressures and transformed into force spectra, which aid in the visualization of the kinetic energy contained in the bursts, in the occurrence of vortex shedding, buffeting and the influence of the neighboring buildings on the wind flow. The analysis is performed locally and globally, making it possible to verify which "zone", or height range, is more significant to the loading of the structure as a whole. It can be seen that the phenomenon of vortex shedding is characterized by a peak in the crosswind spectrum and the buffeting phenomenon appears when there are buildings or obstacles in the windward region. Finally, the results presented here can be helpful in the pre-design of structures with similar configurations, in the comparison and validation for future researches and as a reference in the review of normative codes. Emphasis is given to the importance of wind tunnel testing, which allows the designer to simulate all loading cases and neighborhood effects with greater precision compared to simplified methods currently contained in codes and standards.

O objeto da pesquisa é a requalificação de edifícios altos residenciais acima de 15 pavimentos, situados no centro da cidade de São Paulo e construídos entre 1930 e 1964, sendo a maioria de um cômodo, conhecidos como kitchenettes, com ênfase nas possibilidades de renovação arquitetônica e requalificação tecnológica para sua reocupação, visando as questões de desempenho ambiental. No momento atual das cidades modernas, um número significativo de edifícios de médio e grande porte, encontrados em diferentes partes do mundo, inevitavelmente necessitam e recorrem a projetos de requalificação arquitetônica e tecnológica. É verificado que o centro da cidade de São Paulo possui um estoque edificado obsoleto e uma grande potencialidade para receber novas edificações, além de requalificar as existentes. Com isso, o objetivo principal desta pesquisa é qualificar o edifício existente provendo conforto ergonômico, térmico, luminoso e acústico, mediante padrões e critérios pré-estabelecidos de desempenho ambiental. Como resultado é verificado que existem possibilidades de intervenção que permite ao edifício alcançar melhor desempenho ambiental, com um redesenho das unidades a fim de criar apartamentos de um e dois dormitórios, melhorando o aproveitamento da ventilação e iluminação natural e inserindo barreiras contra o ruído urbano nas fachadas. / The object of this research is the refurbishment of tall buildings over 15 floors, situated in the center of city of São Paulo and built between 1930 and 1964, most of them with just one bedroom, known as kitchenetts, with emphasis on opportunities of architectural upgraded and technological refurbishment for them reoccupation, targeting the issues of environmental performance. In the actual moment of modern cities, a significant number of medium and big buildings, found in different parts of the world, inevitably need and require projects of architectural and technological refurbishment. It is verified that São Paulo downtown has a built obsolete inventory and it is prone to receive new buildings, besides the refurbishment of existing ones. Thus, the main aim of this research is to refurbish the actual building, providing it with ergonomic, thermal, light and sound comfort through standards and pre-determined criteria of environmental performance. As a result it is found that there are intervention possibilities that allows the building reach a better environmental performance, with a new units drawing with the aim of create apartments of one or two bedrooms, improving the use of natural ventilation and lighting and putting barriers against urban noises in the buildings front.

Techniques for preliminary analysis of various tall building systems subjected to lateral loads have been studied herein. Three computer programs written in Matlab® graphical user interface language for use on any personal computer are presented. Two of these programs incorporate interactive graphics. A program called Wall_Frame_2D is introduced for two-dimensional analysis of shear wall-frame interactive structures, using the shear-flexural cantilever analogy. The rigid outrigger approach was utilized to develop a program called Outrigger Program to analyze multi-outrigger braced tall buildings. In addition, a program called Frame Tube was developed which allows analysis of single and quad-bundled framed tube structures. The tube grids are replaced with an equivalent orthotropic plate, and the governing differential equations are solved in closed form. Results for lateral deflections, rotations, and moment, shear, and torque distributions within the various resisting elements are compared against other preliminary and "exact" matrix analysis methods for several examples. SAP2000 was used to obtain "exact" results. The approximate analyses are found to give reasonable results and a fairly good indication of the behavior of the actual structure. These programs are proposed for inclusion in a knowledge-based approach to preliminary tall building design. The tall building design process is outlined and criteria are given for the incorporation of these "Resource Level Knowledge Modules" into an integrated tall building design system.

The frame tube buildings have been the most efficient structural system used for building which is in the range of 40-100storey. The soaring heights and the demanding structural efficiency have led to them having smaller reserves of stiffness and consequently stability. In this thesis a Non-linear analysis and stability check of frame-tube building is done. Nonlinear analysis offers several options for addressing problems of nonlinearity and in this work focus is on Geometric Non-linearity. The main sources can be identified as P-Æ’´ effect of gravity loading acting on a transversely displaced structure due to lateral loading and can also be due to member imperfections, such as member camber and out of plumb erection of the frame. During analysis the element response keep continuously changing as a function of the applied load so simple step computing methods have been employed instead of direct analytical methods. The problem here is dealt in a piece wise linear way and solved. In this thesis a program using the matrix approach has been developed. The program developed can calculate the buckling load and can do Linear and Non-linear analysis using the Mat-lab as the computing platform. Numerical results obtained from the program have been compared with the Finite Element software Mastan2. The comparative solutions presented later on in the report clearly prove the accuracy of the program and go on to show, how exploiting simple matrix equation can help solve the most complex structures in fraction of seconds. The program is modular in structure. It provides opportunity for user to make minor manipulation or can append his own module to make it work for his specific needs and will get reliable results.