No description available.

published_or_final_version / abstract / Civil Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

The purpose of the study was to describe how educational specifications are utilized by architects in the design process for conventional, systems, and design-build methods of construction for educational facilities. Both a review of the related literature and interviews with architects experienced in utilizing educational specifications for designing educational facilities served as data for the study.

by So Yat-fan, Yeung Ka-keung. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1983. / Bibliography: leaf 107.

Thesis (MScEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Variations made to the original scope of works are part of construction projects. Varying the scope of works has a cost and time impact, also referred to as the direct impact of V.Os. The direct impact is generally well understood by both contractor and client. Over and beyond the direct impact, V.Os also have a secondary impact on a project. Unlike the direct impact, the secondary impact appears not to be well recognised and managed by South African contractors. The principal aim of the research is to understand the secondary impact of V.Os. Based on this understanding, it then aims to give guidelines and recommendations to assist contractors to manage the secondary impact of V.Os. A variety of methods are used in this thesis. It includes literature review, questionnaire surveys and interviews. The qualitative analysis consists out of a pre-investigation which provided insight on how contractors deal with the secondary impact of V.Os. The JBCC and the GCC were analysed, which provided an understanding on how the contract deals with V.Os and its secondary impact. A definition was developed for the secondary impact. Key terms in the definition were analysed that assist with its understanding. Through means of a detailed literature review of relevant literature, a collection of delay and disruption events were identified that could be triggered by V.O. Studies are presented that proves V.Os cause a loss of productivity on construction projects. A comprehensive and systematic overview was given that explains the secondary impact of V.Os on construction projects. The main events discussed in the overview were validated for the South African contractor through means of interviews conducted with 2 contractors and questionnaires sent out to 44 individuals. It was found that in general, some South African contractors have accepted the secondary impact as part of construction projects. Contracts do not explicitly consider the secondary impact of change, nor does it provide clear guidelines as to how it should be addressed by the parties in contract. It was concluded that the secondary impact is unforeseen loss of productivity on the unchanged work due to the synergistic effect of the disruption caused by a multitude of V.Os (Jones, 2001, Hanna, 2004 and Ibbs, 2005). The secondary impact is an impact on human factors such as morale, self-esteem, motivation and the cause of difficult working conditions. It is a disruption that prevents project activities and events from starting and ending at the planned time and also prevents contractors from executing activities as planned. The cost due to the secondary impact is a combination of increased labour cost and also the increased cost of completing the unchanged work. It is clear that to pro-actively manage the secondary impact of V.Os will require the cooperation from the contract, the contractor and the client. In short contractors will need to understand the secondary impact, be aware of and prepared for delay and disruption events, keep record of the impact, monitor and control labour productivity and maintain a good relationship with the client. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Veranderinge aan die oorspronklike omvang van die werk is deel van konstruksie-projekte. Wanneer die omvang van die oorspronklikke werke verander word, het dit ‘n tyd en koste implikasie tot gevolg. Dit word na verwys as die direkte impak van veranderringe. Die direkte impak word oor die algemeen goed verstaan deur beide die kontrakteur en die kliënt. Bo en behalwe die direkte impak, het variation orders (V.Os) ook 'n sekondêre impak op 'n projek. In teenstelling met die direkte impak, word die sekondêre impak waarskynlik nie goed erken en bestuur deur die Suid-Afrikaanse kontrakteurs nie. Die hoofdoel van die navorsing is om die impak van sekondêre V.Os. te verstaan. Op grond van hierdie begrip, het dit ten doel om riglyne en aanbevelings te gee wat kontrakteurs kan help om die sekondêre impak van V.Os. te bestuur. 'n Verskeidenheid van metodes word in hierdie tesis gebruik. Dit sluit in literatuurstudies, vrae-lys opnames en onderhoude. Die kwalitatiewe ontleding bestaan uit 'n voor-ondersoek wat insig verskaf oor hoe kontrakteurs die sekondêre impak van V.Os hanteer en beleef. Die JBCC en die GCC is ontleed, met die doel om te verstaan hoe die kontrak V.Os en hul sekondêre impak hanteer. 'n Definisie is ontwikkel vir die sekondêre impak. Sleutelterme in die definisie is ontleed wat help met die begrip. Deur middel van 'n omvattende literatuuroorsig van relevante literatuur, is 'n versameling van die vertraging-en ontwrigtings gebeure geïdentifiseer wat deur V.Os veroorsaak kan word. Studies wat bewys dat V.Os 'n afname in produktiwiteit van konstruksie-projekte veroorsaak, is geraadpleeg. 'n Omvattende en sistematiese oorsig word gegee wat die sekondêre impak van V.Os op konstruksie-projekte verduidelik. Die belangrikste gebeurtenisse wat in die oorsig beskryf word, is bekragtig vir die Suid-Afrikaanse kontrakteur deur middel van onderhoude wat met 2 kontrakteurs gevoer is en vraelyste wat uitgestuur is aan 44 individue. Daar is gevind dat in die algemeen, aanvaar sommige Suid-Afrikaanse kontrakteurs die sekondêre impak as deel van konstruksie-projekte. Kontrakte bevat nie duidelike riglyne wat verduidelik hoe kontrakteurs en kliënte die sekondêre impak van V.Os moet hanteer en aanspreek nie. Daar is tot die gevolgtrekking gekom dat die sekondêre impak ‘n onvoorsiene verlies van produktiwiteit op die onveranderde werk is. Dit is die gevolg van die sinergistiese effek van ontwrigting wat veroorsaak word deur 'n menigte van V.Os (Jones, 2001, Hanna, 2004 en Ibbs, 2005). Die sekondêre uitwerking is 'n impak op menslike faktore soos moraal, selfbeeld, motivering en die oorsaak van die moeilike werksomstandighede. Dit is 'n ontwrigting wat verhoed dat die aktiwiteite en gebeure van die projek begin of eindig op die beplande tye. Ook verhoed die sekondêre impak dat die kontrakteurs aktiwiteite uitvoer soos wat vooruit beplan was. Die koste as gevolg van die sekondêre impak is 'n kombinasie van verhoogde arbeidskoste en ook die verhoogde koste om onveranderde werk te voltooi. Dit is duidelik dat die samewerking van die kontrak, die kontrakteur en die kliënt noodsaaklik is om die sekondêre impak van V.Os op ‘n pro-aktiewe wyse te bestuur. Kortliks, vir kontrakteurs om die sekondêre impak te bestuur, het hul nodig om dit te verstaan, om bewus te wees van en voorbereid te wees vir die vertraging-en ontwrigtings gebeure wat plaasvind, rekord moet gehou word van die impak, die produktiwiteit van arbeid moet gemonitor en beheer word en 'n goeie verhouding met die kliënt moet nagestreef word.

This research investigates the application of the AISC Direct Analysis Method for stability bracing design of columns, beams, beam-columns and frames. Emphasis is placed on out-of-plane flange bracing design in metal building frame systems. Potential improvements and extensions to the 2005 AISC Appendix 6 stability bracing provisions are studied and evaluated. The structural attributes considered include various general conditions encountered in practical metal building design: unequal brace spacing, unequal brace stiffness, nonprismatic member geometry, variable axial load or bending moment along the member length, cross-section double or single symmetry, combined bending and axial load, combined torsional and lateral bracing from girts/purlins with or without diagonal braces from these components to the inside flanges, load height, cross-section distortion, and non-rigid end boundary conditions. The research addresses both the simplification to basic bracing design rules as well as direct computation for more complex cases. The primary goal is improved assessment of the demands on flange bracing systems in metal building frames.

This study was to develop an instrument for the collection of data relative to construction of public school buildings for the state of Indiana. The number of totally new public schools for which construction contracts were let in Indiana between January 1, 1966 and December 31, 1968 was to be determined. A third purpose of the study was to identify selected predominate physical components used in the construction of school buildings included in the study. A final purpose was to determine the percentage range of expenditures for each of the selected contracts relative to the total cost of the individual facility, as well as the total cost of construction of school buildings included in the study.Procedures and MethodologyThe research design used in this study included the following procedures: (1) determining the totally new public school construction projects; (2) preparation and refinement of the data gathering instrument; (3) data gathering activities; and (4) treatment of data.Public school construction projects for totally new structures for which construction contracts were let in Indiana between January 1, 1966 and December 31, 1968 were included in the study. A printed questionnaire was mailed to school superintendents in which such a construction project was located. The population consisted of 113 facilities of which responses were received concerning 106 or 9308 per cent. A percentage range of selected contract costs was computed for each individual facility and a frequency tabulation was made on the most often used selected physical component.FindingsOf the 106 buildings included in the study 69 or 65,09 per cent were one story construction. Seventy-four or 69.81 per cent used a steel framing system, 100 or 94°33 per cent used brick exterior walls, 38 or 35,84 per cent used unit ventilators for heating and cooling, 67 or 63.2 per cent had cooling to some extent, 58 or 54.71 per cent used natural gas for heat energy, 65 or 61.32 per cent used carpeting on less than 50 per cent of the floor surface, and 52 or 49.05 per cent used non-load bearing walls as interior partitions. The predominate selected physical component was computed for classified buildings based on grades housed.The percentage range of the general contract cost ranged from a low of 40.92 per cent to a high of 70.97 per cent of the total cost of the individual facilities. The percentage range for the mechanical contract was from a low of 7.25 per cent to a high of 25.61 per cent of the total cost of the individual facility. The percentage range of the electrical contract was from 5.1 per cent to 20.69 per cent and the architect's commission percentage range was from 2.11 per cent to a high of 6.92 per cent of the total cost of the individual facility. Other cost findings were presented in the study.Conclusions1. The great range of construction costs indicates many school administrators lack time, training, and experience to serve effectively as coordinators for planning outstanding and economical school plants.2. A significant number of school facilities included in the study were designed in such a manner as to virtually eliminate flexibility.3. A significant number of elementary schools failed to incorporate environmental comfort features, such as carpeting and air conditioning.4. The fees for legal services rendered in connection with construction of school facilities varied greatly.5. The sale of general obligation bonds was an inadequate method of financing school construction in Indiana.6. If school districts are going to realize a reduction in the amount of the total obligation incurred in financing school construction costs the state of Indiana must provide additional funds for financing school construction.

A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE HIGHER DEGREES COMMITTEE OF THE CAPE PENINSULA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY IN FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTERS OF TECHNOLOGY: CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT CAPE PENINSULA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, 2008 / This study investigated the impact of variation orders on project performance in order to take proactive measure to reduce them. The study had the following objectives, namely (1) to investigate the prevalence of variation orders on construction projects; (2) to determine the cost impact of variation orders; (3) to examine to what extent variation orders added value to construction projects; (4) to determine whether the activities associated with variation orders may be regarded as waste; (5) to identify the predominant origin agent as well as the causes of variation orders; and (6) to establish the nature and extent of the impact of variation orders on overall project performance. Literature relative to the research area was extensively reviewed. The data gathering approaches included an exploratory study on costs of variation orders on two construction projects, interviews with three top management personnel in construction contracting companies, the audit of site instructions with regard to waste and their value-addedness and self-administered questionnaires. A purposive sampling method was followed to identify participants into the study. The audit of site instructions revealed that most variation orders were beneficial. However, 14% of site instructions had waste associated with them. It was possible to quantify apparent waste associated with variation orders by means of an ‘origin-cause matrix’ designed for that purpose. Problematic situations arising from the occurrence of variation orders included discrepancies between the claimed and certified amounts. Variation orders impacted project performance with regard to cost and time overruns and disputes between parties to the contract. Most variation orders involved additional works. The complexity of works was the most predominant factor influencing the occurrence of variation orders. The reduction of the occurrence of variation orders was traced back to the pre-contract stage given that the most predominant origin agent of variation orders was the client and then due to an unclear brief of works to be executed. Suggestions regarding the reduction of variation orders include (1) adequate planning in advance is required by all involved parties before works start on site, (2) consultants should do a thorough concluding design and working drawings and contract documents should be complete at tender stage, (3) clients should provide clear brief, (4) enhance communication and all parties should be proactive at all times, (5) works should be supervised with an experienced and dedicated supervisor and (6) consultant should ensure that the design/specifications fall within the approved budget and the budget team should be appointed and participate during the design phase. The study suggests further investigation regarding the development of a more equitable basis of valuation of cost recovery which was beyond the scope of this research.

Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this document / Thesis (PhD (Quantity Surveying))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Construction Economics / unrestricted