Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / This thesis argues that an architectural surveying methodology via newspaper sampling offers new insight historic preservationists can use to more efficiently predict demolitions. Using data collected from the “Home Builder’s Department” section of the Indianapolis Star, this study compiles architectural information on 425 structures, mostly single-family and duplex residences, built between 1909 and 1926. Engaging with the historiographical themes of public history and architectural history as well as methodological components of historic preservation and digital humanities, the data-centric model relies on a collection of sampled newspaper articles, which were analyzed for specific information, compiled into a data repository with supplemental research, and then incorporated into the ArcGIS program for interpretation. The project provides a synopsis on early twentieth century building trends in Indianapolis and offers implications regarding the role that factors such as building type, geographic location, federal and municipal historic district protections, architectural style, and exterior building material or cladding play in predicting demolitions. Beyond these predictive results, this study also suggests a city-wide surveying methodology for organizing and analyzing large quantities of historic architecture for preservation planning initiatives.

Syftet med denna uppsats har varit att genom en litteraturgranskning ta reda på vilket material av trä eller betong för byggnader i Sverige som resulterar i minst utsläpp av koldioxidekvivalenter. Bygg-och fastighetssektorn bidrar till 10-30% av Sveriges totala miljöpåverkan och enligt Boverket så har denna verksamhet dessutom ökat andelen koldioxidutsläpp under de senaste åren. Denna studie har utförts som en så kallad rapid review med en tillhörande kvalitetsbedömning av aktuella artiklar. Vid litteratursökningen har databaserna Web Of Science och Scopus nyttjas och totalt nio stycken artiklar inkluderades i den slutliga resultatsyntesen.    Denna undersökning visar att träbyggnader uppförda i Sverige bidrar till mindre utsläpp av koldioxidekvivalenter jämfört med betongbyggnader. De största anledningarna till detta är på grund av betongens användning av cement, som under produktionsskedet släpper ut stora mängder koldioxid, samt träprodukters kapacitet att fungera som kolsänkor och förmåga att ersätta fossila bränslen i större utsträckning än vad betongbyggnader kan. Avfallshanteringen för träprodukter visar sig däremot vara en viktig faktor att ta i beaktning för att erhålla bästa möjliga scenario. Deponering utan tillvaratagande av biogas resulterar i likvärdigt koldioxidavtryck som betongbyggnader. Däremot visar resultatet att för scenarion där de träprodukter som är i godkänt skick återanvänds och den andel som är obrukbara används som energi har en positivt miljöpåverkan och släpper ut nästan fyra gånger mindre koldioxidekvivalenter än betongbyggnader. Vidare visar arbetet betydelsen av användning av olika fossila bränslen och ersättning av dessa.

Kostnadsöverskridning är ett vanligt förekommande problem inom byggbranschen och kan ha en negativ påverkan på projektets omfattning. Detta problem baseras på flera faktorer. Syftet med denna studie har varit att undersöka de viktigaste orsakerna till kostnadsöverskridande i byggprojekt samt att hitta bästa möjliga åtgärder för dessa orsaker. För att uppnå syftet genomförde vi en större litteraturgenomgång och tog del av tidigare forskning av ämnet. Vi samlade in även data från enkätstudier av olika aktörer från olika företag. Denna data samlades in med hjälp av en enkät som företagen besvarade. Resultaten bevisar att kostnadsöverskridningar är ett problem i byggbranschen samt visar att det finns många olika orsaker som leder till att kostnader överstiger. De största orsakerna är fel kalkylering av projektet, och osäkerhet och oförutsedda händelser som händer i världen som hindrar att projektet slutförs enligt den budget som planerat. De åtgärderna som har kommit fram i resultaten är bland annat att åtgärden kan vidtas om organisationen är kompetent och har realistiska kalkyler samt gör väl genomtänkt projektstyrning i tid. / Cost overrun is a common problem in the construction industry and can have a negative impact on the scope of a project. This problem is based on several factors. The purpose of this study has been to investigate the main causes of cost overrun in construction projects and to identify the best possible measures for addressing these causes.   To achieve this purpose, we conducted an extensive literature review and examined previous research on the subject. We also collected data from survey studies involving various stakeholders from different companies. This data was gathered through a survey that the companies responded to.   The results confirm that cost overruns are a problem in the construction industry, and they demonstrate that there are many different causes that contribute to exceeding costs. The major causes include inaccurate project estimation and uncertainties and unforeseen events occurring in the world that prevent the project from being completed within the planned budget.   The measures that have emerged from the results include, among others, the need for competent organizations to take action and have realistic estimates. Additionally, well-thought-out project management should be implemented in a timely manner.

This study will provide background information about the region of Bangladesh,more specifically the coastal rural area of Bangladesh. This region has due to theglobal warming become a very disaster-prone region where disaster resilience workhas become increasingly relevant. Displacement of the rural coastal population dueto disasters is an ongoing issue in Bangladesh which inhibits the large urbanization the capital city, Dhaka faces. This has increased the need of housing which has stimulated the brick industry that has increased its contribution to BangladeshGDP the last years. Though the brick industry has traditionally been dominated by environmentally unfriendly methods that has caused deforestation and severe air pollution contributing to the cause of its demand creating a negative feedbackloop. This study will analyse four different building materials including the tradition alone by collecting data, creating analyse models and discussing them to find a more financial, environmental and technical suitable alternative to respondto the current situation to try turn the tide focusing on the rural coastal areas of Bangladesh.

The construction industry in Sweden today are facing a major challenge in building society and following the pace of population growth. Rising material prices are today a fact, and at the same time there is a lack of capacity at the Swedish suppliers as they are bound up in supplier agreements for the coming years. The largest construction companies in Sweden have been working strategically with international suppliers for a long time to increase their margins and to secure their material needs. BTH Bygg AB is today a company that builds, renovates and maintains real estate in Stockholm. The company has expanded in recent years and is committed to strong growth by 2020. Work on international purchasing has previously been limited to BTH Bygg, but this type of purchase is today seen as a necessity to continued growth and to be competitive in that part of Sweden where most is built. The purpose of this study is to analyze BTH Bygg's existing purchasing process to further develop and propose improvements with international procurement as a starting point. The study has been conducted with the help of interviews to get a complete picture of the issues of international purchasing. BTH Bygg AB has a strong organization with a lot of experience related to the subject area, and focus has been on compiling these in order to come up with suggestions and ideas on how to handle international purchases. Recommendations are focused on areas related to supplier assessment, communication, logistics and product selection. / Byggindustrin i Sverige står idag inför en stor utmaning i att bygga samhället och följa med i den takt som populationsökningen kräver. Stigande materialpriser är idag ett faktum och samtidigt finns det många gånger en avsaknad av kapacitet hos de svenska leverantörerna då de är uppbundna i leverantörsavtal för kommande år. De största byggbolagen i Sverige arbetar sen lång tid tillbaka strategiskt med internationella leverantörer för att öka sina marginaler och för att säkra sitt materialbehov. BTH Bygg AB är idag ett företag som bygger, renoverar och underhåller fastigheter i Stor-Stockholm. Företaget har expanderat de senaste åren och de satsar på en stark tillväxt fram till år 2020. Arbetet med internationella inköp har tidigare varit begränsat på BTH Bygg, men denna typ av inköp ses idag som en nödvändighet för att fortsätta växa och vara konkurrenskraftiga i den del av Sverige det byggs mest. Syftet med denna studie är att analysera BTH Byggs existerande inköpsprocess för att vidareutveckla och föreslå förbättringar med internationella upphandlingar som utgångspunkt. Studien har utförts med hjälp av intervjuer för att få en samlad bild kring de frågor som finns vid internationella inköp. BTH Bygg AB besitter en stark organisation med mycket erfarenheter kopplade till ämnesområdet och fokus har legat på att sammanställa dessa för att komma med förslag och idéer kring hur de internationella inköpen ska hanteras. Rekommendationerna fokuseras till områden kopplade till leverantörsbedömning, kommunikation, logistik samt val av produkt.

The aim of this Master Thesis is to investigate and quantify the climate impact for two floor system alternatives for the Cederhusen project, that is the 8 floors timber-based buildings located at Sankt Eriksplan in Stockholm. The overall motivation for this study is the fact that the construction industry is a major contributor to the total amount of the global greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, in order to reduce these emissions new solutions, practices and applications must be adopted. An environmental attentive choice of materials used in structures has the potential of reducing the emissions. The first alternative is the existing floor system solution used by Folkhem. The second is a new type of floor system solution patented by Granab. Each floor system contains two segments: a structural part and a sub-floor part. The structural part in both alternatives contain an adding weight component to improve the dynamic performance of the relatively light weight high-rise timber buidlings. Both floor systems are thus so-called hybrid systems, where Folkhem's solution combines cross-laminated timber (CLT) and steel fiber reinforced concrete, and Granab's solution combines CLT and gravel. The specific objective was to compare the emission of greenhouse gases related to each floor system and their components by a so-called comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology using a well-defined functional unit. The functional unit must consider all significant performance requirements obtained by the floor system, including load bearing capacity, dynamic performance, sound proofing, fire safety, surface flooring and maximum acceptable building height. The method of determining the climate impact is based on the “Anavitor Concept”, an innovative and digital approach to LCA calculations, to quantify and compare the environmental impact of the two floor systems through their lifetime, aiming for the user to not be an LCA expert, but to be the one who develops the design solutions, called “End-User”. Therefore, this concept performs direct LCA calculations from the BIM model by allowing access to environmental database, which contains life cycle analysis data approved and provided by LCA environmental specialists, and conveniently link material component against an industry-wide resource register receipt, called “Cross-Referencing”. The results show a significant decrease of climate impact with 33 % CO2e/m2 for the Granab’s alternative floor system compared to the existing floor system designed by Folkhem. Moreover, a direct comparison of the climate impact of Folkhem´s versus Granab´s adding weight system itself, shows a remarkable decrease of climate impact with 65 % CO2e/m2 emissions reduction for the Granab system.  Thera are several reasons for these remarkably results, however, the building material selection of gravel over concrete has the greatest influence. In practice, the ability to avoid the environmental impact of cement’s manufacture process in the production stage, A1-A3, is identified as the hot spot of this study. In addition, the environmental impact results signify the importance of a wise selection of the manufacturer and their factory location, mainly by selecting a factory located as close as possible. However, in practice, there are also other factors which need to be considered when choosing a supplier. Moreover, allowing the user to not be an LCA expert but to be the one who develops the design solutions, based on the “End-User” idea in the “Anavitor Concept” applied in this study, has novel benefits. By implementing LCA analysis during the architectural and structural design process, additional quantified environmental results can be instantly considered as additional causal numerical factors in the design process and directly affect executive decisions in earlier design stages for environmental matter as well. “Anavitor Concept” is a game changer regarding LCA in the construction sector. A future where every consulting building company around the globe would have access to open verified regulated environmental database and simply with their BIM model would be able to receive immediate quantified and verified environmental impact outputs in the early stages of design by the designers themselves and not LCA expert consultant, is an environmental dream come true. The “Anavitor Concept” should be adopted and expend outside the Swedish market and the environmental database should be adapted and modified to each national construction market around the globe.

Sveriges byggbransch genererar årligen stora mängder avfall som under 2018 uppgick till 13 miljoner ton vilket motsvarar 35 % av Sveriges totala genererade avfall. För att klara de globala hållbarhetsmålen och minska byggbranschens klimatpåverkan behöver resursanvändningen och uttaget av jungfruliga resurser minska. Diskussionen om ett hållbart samhällsbyggande kretsar kring en fossilfri och resurseffektiv värdekedja och kräver en övergång till cirkulära flöden. I byggbranschen är beställaren den huvudsaklige kravställande parten som besitter stor potential till förändring av hela branschen men den egna medvetenheten hos beställare varierar kraftigt beroende på målgrupp, organisationens storlek och ekonomiska förutsättningar. I denna studie har en intervjustudie genomförts för att undersöka beställarens roll för ökat återbruk av byggmaterial vilket lett till insikter om beställarens roll samt de främsta utmaningar för nämnt syfte. Respondenterna i studien har varit yrkesverksamma i byggbranschen med olika grad av professionell erfarenhet av återbruk av byggmaterial, som representerat olika typer av aktörer inom byggbranschen. I forskningen studeras idag möjligheten till återbruk av byggmaterial i innovations- och pilotprojekt för att hitta arbetsmetoder och lösningar för större flöden av återbrukat material och produkter inom byggbranschen. Denna studie har som avsikt haft att fortsatt undersöka återbrukets potential och utmaningar utifrån ett beställarperspektiv på en branschnivå och har resulterat i kunskap om beställarens roll för ökat återbruk av byggmaterial. Studien visar att beställaren besitter en nyckelroll för att driva förändringsarbetet inom branschen. Det framgår att det finns stora skillnader i beställarens medvetenhet över branschen och att de största aktörerna driver framgångsrika projekt med fokuserat återbruksarbete. Samtidigt är mindre beställare, som till antalet utgör stor del av byggbranschens aktörer, långt ifrån att driva återbruk som en del av hållbarhetsfrågan på grund av okunskap och avsaknad av efterfrågan från kunder. Studien presenterar även de främsta utmaningar som branschens beställare står inför för att gå mot större flöden av återbrukat byggmaterial. Dessa utmaningar visar sig vara; kunskapsbrist och erfarenhet, bristen på aktörer som arbetar med återbruk, att nya arbets- och tankesätt måste realiseras, att det befintliga regelverket måste förändras till att gynna återbruk, att stora delar av branschen inte är redo, logistik och lagerhantering samt medvetenheten om ekonomiska förutsättningar. För att vidare studera återbruk inom byggbranschen vore det intressant att studera olika entreprenadformers påverkan på återbruksmöjligheter. En annan intressant tråd att arbeta med vore att ta fram konkreta ekonomiska incitament för minskat avfall och ökat återbruk från höga strategiska nivåer för att på en branschnivå driva förändringsarbetet mot cirkulära flöden. Som vidare undersökning utifrån denna studie vore det av stort värde att genomföra en större kvalitativ studie med statistiska slutsatser som kan bidra med underlag för beslut för beställare och lagstiftning. / Sweden's construction sector generates large amounts of waste annually and amounted 2018 to 13 million tonnes of waste, which corresponds to 35 % of Sweden's overall generated waste. In order to meet the global sustainable development goals and reduce the climate impact of the construction sector, the use of resources and the abstraction of virgin resources need to be reduced. The discussion about sustainable construction development revolves around a fossil-free and resource-efficient value chain and requires a transition to circular material and economic flows. In the construction sector, the client is a demanding party who has great potential to push for change over the entire industry, but the self-awareness of the client varies greatly depending on the target group, the size of the organisation and economic conditions of the client’s organisation. In this study, an interview study has been conducted to investigate the client's role in increasing reuse of building materials, which has led to insights into the role of the client as well as the main challenges for the stated purpose. The respondents of the study are professionals in the construction industry with various levels of professional experience in the reuse of construction materials, representing different types of actors in the construction industry. Researchers are currently studying innovation and pilot projects to find new or improved working methods and solutions for greater volumes of recycled materials and products. This study aims to continue to investigate the potential and the arisen challenges of reuse from a client's perspective at an industry level and has resulted in knowledge of the client's role in increased reuse of building materials. The study shows that the client has a key role to play in driving change in the industry. Even though, it appears to be major differences in the client’s awareness across the industry and the largest actors are running successful projects with focused reuse work. At the same time, smaller client’s, who make up a large part in number of the industry's actors, have long ways to go before adopting reuse as part of the sustainability issue due to inexperience and lack of demand from customers. The study also presents the identification of the main challenges for the industry's clients in order to move towards industrial volumes of reused building materials. These challenges are: lack of knowledge and experience, the lack of actors working with reuse, the realisation of new ways of working and thinking, the need to change the existing regulatory framework to promote reuse, a large number of actors are not ready to adopt methods of reuse, logistics and warehousing, and awareness of economic prerequisites.  In order to further study reuse in the construction industry, it would be interesting to study the impact of different project delivery methods and its impact on reuse opportunities. Another interesting thread to follow up on would be to develop tangible financial incentives, for reduced waste and increased volumes of reused materials, from high strategic levels in order to drive change towards a circular economy. As a continuation of this study, it would be of great value to conduct a larger quantitative study with statistical deductions that can provide a basis for decisions for clients and legislative advancement.

This thesis examines the preservation challenges heritage cities face because of climate change, with Venice as a case study and references to Rhodes Town, Edinburgh Castle, and Old San Juan. Dominant literature and scholarship on Venice compete with one another, restricting opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration and dialogue in producing a more efficient preservation approach to the city. Through a study of the brief history of Venice, the materials, and past and present approaches to preservation, this research signifies the need to understand and preserve building materials. Following an analysis of the scholarship on Venice, this paper reveals the role of building materials in discourse on the city, as materials can bridge the gap among competing literature. Therefore, this thesis makes a key contribution to the understanding of urban history and preserving historic cities. In exploring preservation techniques and considering how the discourse can more effectively address the challenges of sea level rise of historic cities, this thesis argues the history of materials is key to a cohesive preservation approach for Venice's built heritage. The building materials are at the center of the preservation issue, and by serving as the core of dialogue and interdisciplinary collaboration, a more efficient approach to preserving the city's local and global heritage will occur. This thesis shows historic building materials can become central to Venice's preservation approach with increased vocal concerns about the building materials from restorers/conservators, non-governing residents, art historians, scientists, and global onlookers to Venice's local government, the Italian government, and international preservation bodies. In exploring preservation techniques and considering how the discourse can develop to address the challenges of sea level rise more effectively on historic cities, this thesis argues the history of materials is key to a cohesive preservation approach for Venice's built heritage. The building materials are at the center of the preservation issue, and by serving as the core of dialogue and interdisciplinary collaboration, a more efficient approach to preserving the city's local and global heritage will occur. This thesis shows historic building materials can become central to Venice's preservation approach with increased vocal concerns about the building materials from restorers/conservators, non-governing residents, art historians, scientists, and global on-lookers to Venice's local government, the Italian government, and international preservation bodies. / Master of Arts / This thesis examines the preservation challenges heritage cities face because of climate change, with Venice as a case study and references to Rhodes Town, Edinburgh Castle, and Old San Juan. Literature on Venice compete with one another, restricting opportunities for conversation on producing an efficient preservation approach to the city. Through a study of the brief history of Venice, the materials, and past and present approaches to preservation, this research signifies the need to understand and preserve the building materials. The role of building materials in discussions and debates on the city is necessary as materials can bridge the gap among competing literature. With building materials at the center of the preservation issue and the core of conversation among different disciplines, a more efficient approach to preserving the city's local and global heritage will occur.

The strategic importance of the adoption of innovative processing technologies was analyzed for building products businesses. This study examined the two components of wood building products businesses: the structural panel industry and the softwood Iumber industry. To ensure that the relevance of adopting of innovative processing technologies was examined within an accurate contextual environment, additional important strategies and performance were also measured. A mail survey of the seventy-five largest North American producers of these two products provided the primary data necessary to investigate the strategic importance of process technology adoption, forward vertical integration, relative market share, grade sector focus, and investment intensity on firm performance as measured by profitability surrogates and changes in relative market share. This survey collected direct measures of the proportion of 1987 production produced by respondent firms that used controlled distribution channels and each of twentythree processes indicative of innovative technologies in the manufacture of building products. Information concerning the other strategic and performance factors was collected from secondary data sources. Results indicate that the adoption of innovative processing technologies has a positive impact on firm profitability. Investment intensity and grade sector focus also contributed to superior profitability. Forward vertical integration, and relative market share had no impact in differences between performance levels for the firms studied. Technologies were examined for underlying dimensions that group different process technologies together. Firms were clustered according to their level of adoption of innovative processing technologies and these clusters were then described according to a variety of firm-dependent characteristics, strategies, and performance measures. A strategy-performance model was developed for standardized, industrial product-markets and empirically tested using the data collected for the building products industry as an industry representative of this type of competitive environment. / Ph. D.

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