The object of this investigation is to develop a procedure for the optimization of a roof system to yield minimum cost. The roof system is composed of parallel chord, steel trusses, with purlins and decking. The variables considered are geometry, topology, and member size. The optimal values of the geometry and topology variables are determined by the application of Box's Complex Method. A fully stressed design criterion is used in selecting the member sizes. It is shown that the optimization scheme always converges to a low cost region, although not necessarily to the global optimum. A cost model is developed that includes member-related costs and weight-related costs. Parameter studies demonstrate the importance of selecting the proper ratios of fixed and weight-related costs. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Civil Engineering, Department of / Graduate

No description available.

This report presents and interprets the Cost/Schedule Control System Criteria, management techniques which have been determined by the Department of Defense to represent appropriate methods for adequately controlling program costs and schedules. Applied to selected contracts of significantly large dollar value, these standards provide for a system which affords the contractor the ability for effective program management and the customer sufficient output visibility for proper program progress evaluation. These criteria differ from typical management methods in that they include a means for assessing the value of completed work in terms of its planned cost. Comparing this with the planned cost of work scheduled for the same period, and actual costs, results in a quantitative development of cost and schedule variances.

The multidisciplinary nature of the Architecture-Engineering-Construction industry, the involvement of parties with different professional backgrounds and the use of incompatible software at different phases of project development result in fragile communication between design and construction. The software used at different phases of project development represents and manipulates product knowledge rather than process knowledge, so do the design drawings and specifications. The process knowledge that remains trapped in the design phase can however be used in interpreting the meaning about the form represented on design drawings. A better understanding of process knowledge can restructure and enhance construction related processes and strengthen the communication between design and construction. This research focuses on reconfiguring the flow of information between architectural design and construction by identifying that part of the process knowledge also referred to as "design intent," which is of essence to cost estimating. Design intent can improve various facets of cost estimating. This research discusses the potential use of design intent knowledge in material selection and substitution, shop drawing preparation and value engineering. The first objective of the research is to define the term design intent, find examples of it and classify it in a format that can be used in construction applications. Thus, design intent has been classified under four classification schemes in this research: (1) Attributive; (2) Relational; (3) Priority; and (4) Implicit/ Explicit. The first two classification schemes have further been structured into its detailed subclasses and the potential use of each type of design intent has been discussed in detail. The second objective of the research is to represent and reason with design intent to improve cost estimating applications. Thus, the thesis describes an object-oriented design intent representation model implemented in a proof-of-concept prototype called Skull Object Space (SOS). The benefits of using such a representation model is illustrated in a material application module implemented as a small scale computer prototype that makes material selection and substitution for the contractor. Both SOS and the Material Application Module provide useful framework for future enhancements in externalization and representation of design intent. / Master of Science

Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

Digitized by Kansas State University Libraries

Digitized by Kansas State University Libraries

published_or_final_version / Real Estate and Construction / Master / Master of Science in Real Estate and Construction

Personal discount rates can be defined as the rate at which Marines trade current dollars for future dollars. This research attempts to fill in the gaps in previous discount rate studies where Marine Corps data were omitted, by determining the personal discount rates for each individual who separated from the Marine Corps under the SSB or VSI voluntary separation payment programs between 1992 and 1997. This study also determined those personal, professional, and economic traits that had a significant influence on Marines during their separation payment option decisions. The findings of this research are similar to previous studies, indicating that the methodology applied in this study is accurate. The implications of this research for the Marine Corps are that manpower planners can use the determined personal discount rates to create policies that can target Marines who possess certain personal or professional characteristics for reduction or retention, thereby assisting the efforts to create a balanced and capable Marine Corps in the future. Planners can also use this research to anticipate the effect of policy changes on Marines with specific professional or personal traits. / US Marine Corps (USMC) author.

This research survey was carried out to investigate three areas of concern which are commonly associated with the implementation of government development projects: namely: (i) cost overrun causal factors, (ii) effective remedial cost control measures and (iii) apportionment of professional responsibility for either cost overrun causal factors or costs control remedial measures’ implementation. The ultimate aim was to identify major causes of cost overruns, generate and recommend possible solutions to the problem of cost overruns in the Botswana public construction industry. The research strategy adopted, involved the circulation of questionnaires and subsequent statistical data analysis. Initially, an expert group questionnaire test survey was conducted among ten (10) professionals (expert group), in order to solicit professional opinion and contributory input on the research. The purpose of the expert group questionnaire test survey was to refine the research questionnaires, make necessary questionnaire structure amendments, eliminate possible ambiguities, and finally, to make data collection an easy exercise. Through the expert group questionnaire test survey, the research questionnaires were assessed for validity and reliability. Thus, the questionnaire content validity (Saunders et al. 2003) was established by soliciting comments from the expert group, on the representativeness and suitability of the research questionnaires. Lists of causes of cost overruns factors and effective cost control measures were, developed for each of the three major project development cycle phases; namely: the conception/planning/designing, implementation, and completion/commissioning phases. The research questionnaires which were formulated through expert group questionnaire test survey lists of cost overruns causal factors and cost control remedial measures were circulated to a wide range of practicing professionals. In addition, a representative number of case study projects, with specific reference to cost overruns and cost control, were selected for detailed investigation. Three statistical data analytical methods; the respondents ‘s cost overrun factor/cost control measures ranking order, the Kendell’s Correlation Coefficient and the case study analysis, were simultaneously (triangulation analysis), employed in order to draw conclusive results of the research findings. Hence, the result of the survey identified: i) the most frequent cost overrun causal factors; as inadequate project brief, insufficient/inadequate project design, lack of project coordination and contractual claims and ii) the most effective cost control measures; as appointment of competent project personnel, improved project monitoring, awarding contracts to reputable/competent contractors and monitoring teams and providing time and financial management facilities. The third objective, which was to identify and apportion professional personnel responsibility for causal factors and remedial cost control implementation measures; within each of the three-project development cycle phases; yielded the following results: Clients and project managers were found to play a major contributory role in activities that lead to project cost overruns at conception/planning/designing phase. The project implementation phase allocated blame to contractors, architects and quantity surveyors for cost overruns, while quantity surveyors and contractors were found to be responsible for cost overruns at the completion/commissioning phase. On the implementation of effective remedial cost control measures, the professional responsibility scenario was found to be as follows: clients and project managers play a major role at conception/planning/designing phase, whereas quantity surveyors are key players at implementation phase and project managers; at completion /commissioning phase.