This research investigates the interaction process between building clients and construction professionals. The context of the interaction is the first meeting between the parties to discuss a potential construction project. The objective of the research was to determine whether clients, with differing levels of construction experience, and construction professionals, from different disciplines (architects, quantity surveyors, consulting engineers and contractors), exhibit distinctive interaction characteristics, both in terms of how they interact and the subject matter of their interactions. In order to test a number of hypotheses about the interactions an experimental procedure was developed. This involved arranging a series of interviews between the different client types and the construction professionals. 44 interviews were conducted with each one being recorded and then transcribed. Additional data was collected in the form of participant questionnaires and personality tests. Transcripts were coded using systems developed for this investigation, using measures of nature of interaction and subject matter. Processing and analysis of the data was conducted using ethnographic computer software and programs written specifically for this research project. A database was created from the interview data which allows selective retrieval of segments of interviews. The database comprises of approximately 215,000 words, with 58,000 codes assigned to text segments. The results of the analysis are presented in both quantitative and qualitative forms, and show that there are significant differences in the interactions. In interviews between inexperienced clients and professionals the professionals make the greater contributions, dominating the clients. There is a reversal of the roles when experienced clients interact with professionals, with the clients assuming the dominant position. In addition the results show that in interviews between inexperienced clients and professionals, the four professional disciplines emphasis different factors. All professionals raise issues relating to primary factors such as time, cost and quality. However, the discussion of other building factors was more specific to a particular professional discipline. Finally, the research also concluded that the element of personality differences in interviews was an influential factor in determining whether their outcome was perceived as successful by the participants.

No description available.

No description available.

This work discusses in detail the history of, and processes associated with the construction of baroque era trumpets then and now. The work addresses metallurgy, tools, construction methods, and playing characteristics of instruments built with old techniques and modern techniques.

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Thèse numérisée par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

La conception de l'assemblage plafond-plancher dans un bâtiment en bois peut être un défi en raison de ses aspects multidisciplinaires et des limitations d'espace. En tant qu'un composant du bâtiment, cet espace possède un rôle structural et représente un volume dans lequel passent les systèmes de la mécanique du bâtiment. L'objectif de ce travail est de démystifier l'assemblage plafond-plancher à travers une recherche bibliographique et des entrevues semi-dirigées et de développer ensuite une méthodologie d'optimisation multi-objectif pour une conception optimale de ce sandwich. Le modèle développé intègre tant la partie structurale que les systèmes de la mécanique du bâtiment, dont un but de minimiser l'épaisseur de l'assemblage tout en optimisant le système de ventilation qui passe dedans. L'algorithme NSGA-II est utilisé dans le processus d'optimisation. Une étude de cas sur un assemblage plafond-plancher dans un bâtiment en bois a été réalisée pour évaluer le modèle développé, où trois configurations d'assemblage ont été testées. Dans la première configuration, le réseau de ventilation passe à travers la structure, soit en parallèle aux poutres, soit en les traversant. Dans ce cas, des ouvertures seront nécessaires à condition que le diamètre de la conduite ne dépasse pas 15% de la hauteur des poutres. Dans la deuxième configuration, on considère que les poutres sont renforcées, pour donner une tolérance supplémentaire relative à l'ouverture au niveau des poutres allant jusqu'à 30% de leur hauteur. La troisième configuration est la méthode traditionnelle où aucune ouverture n'est autorisée et le réseau de ventilation passe en dessous de la structure. Pour les trois configurations, deux types de dispositions des gaines de ventilation ont été évaluées. Les meilleures solutions sont présentées sous la forme de fronts de Pareto. L'analyse des résultats montre que l'optimisation de la configuration traditionnelle de l'assemblage donne toujours de meilleures solutions (où l'épaisseur de l'assemblage varie de 0.65 m à 0,87m et la perte de pression varie de 50 Pa à 105 Pa) comparativement aux deux autres configurations. / The design of the ceiling-to-floor assembly in timber buildings can be challenging due to its multidisciplinary aspects, space limitations, and requirements of timber constructions. As a component of the building, this space has a structural role. It ensures the safety and comfort of occupants and represents a volume through which building services systems pass. The objective of this work is to demystify the ceiling-to-floor assembly in timber buildings and to develop a multi-objective optimization method for an optimum design. In order to do this, bibliographical research was carried out in various databases. This step was accompanied by a series of semi-structured interviews with wood construction experts. Then a multi-objective optimization strategy for the ceiling-to-floor assembly was developed. It integrates both structures and building mechanical systems to minimize the thickness of the ceiling-to-floor assembly and optimize the pressure drops in the air distribution system that passes through it. The multi-objective genetic algorithm (NSGA-II) is used in the optimization process. Design variables related to the structure and ventilation network are taken into account. A case study of a ceiling-to-floor assembly in a timber building was carried out to evaluate the developed model, where three assembly configurations were tested: (i) the diameter of an aperture in a beam to let a duct pass is limited to 15% of the beam height, (ii) the aperture diameter limitation is 30% of the beam height, corresponding to a beam with reinforcement, (iii) no apertures are allowed and the ducts are below the beams. Best solutions are presented through the Pareto fronts and the optimal dimensions of the structure and air distribution ducts are generated. For the case study, results show that the optimization algorithm gives better results in terms of thickness and pressure drops in the third configuration where ducts pass through beams (assembly thickness ranges from 0.65 to 0.87 m, pressure drops from 50 Pa to 105 Pa), compared to the configuration where the duct passes through the structure.

Au Canada, le secteur du bâtiment émet 17% de toutes les émissions de GES et consomme 50% de toute l'énergie primaire. Dans un contexte de mix énergétique à faible impact environnemental comme celui qui prévaut dans la province de Québec (Canada), une grande partie de ces pourcentages est attribuable à l'énergie intrinsèque. Celle-ci peut représenter jusqu'à 46% de toute l'énergie consommée sur le cycle de vie d'un bâtiment pour une durée de vie de 50 ans. La moitié de ce pourcentage est attribuable à la combinaison de la structure et de l'enveloppe du bâtiment. La plupart des études déjà réalisées ayant comparé différents systèmes d'enveloppe pour un bâtiment résidentiel, ce projet vise à quantifier la contribution des impacts intrinsèques initiaux aux impacts environnementaux du cycle de vie d'assemblages de mur extérieur pour un bâtiment à bureaux situé dans la ville de Québec (Canada). Une analyse du cycle de vie du berceau au tombeau (cradle-to-grave) a été réalisée sur huit assemblages de mur extérieur. Les impacts environnementaux ont été évalués à l'aide du logiciel open LCA, de la base de données ecoinvent et de la méthode d'évaluation des impacts TRACI. L'énergie consommée lors de la phase d'utilisation du bâtiment a été simulée à l'aide du logiciel EnergyPlus. Les résultats indiquent que la contribution des impacts intrinsèques initiaux au cycle de vie des assemblages de mur est de 41% à 66%. Les résultats suggèrent que, dans un tel contexte, les impacts intrinsèques initiaux peuvent devenir la principale source d'impacts environnementaux dans le cycle de vie des assemblages de mur. Les résultats de ce projet feront comprendre aux dirigeants l'importance d'évaluer les impacts intrinsèques lors des premières étapes de la conception des bâtiments dans l'objectif de construire des bâtiments plus durables. Ces résultats guideront également les praticiens dans la sélection d'assemblages muraux plus durables en fonction de leurs impacts environnementaux. / In Canada, the building sector account for 17% of all GHG emissions and consumes 50% of all primary energy. In the context of a low environmental impact energy mix such as the one prevailing in the province of Quebec (Canada) a large part of these percentages is attributable to embodied energy. In such a context, the embodied energy of building materials can account for up to 46% of a building's life cycle energy over a 50-year service life. Half of this energy corresponds to the combination of the structure and the building envelope. While most studies have compared different residential building systems or wall assemblies, this study aims to quantify the contribution of initial embodied impacts to the environmental impacts of wall assemblies' life cycle for the exterior walls of an office building in Quebec City (Canada). Cradle-to-grave life cycle assessments were conducted on eight wall assemblies. The life cycle assessment impacts were evaluated using openLCA, the ecoinvent database and the TRACI method. Energy use during the building use stage was simulated using EnergyPlus. The results indicate that initial embodied impacts can account for 41% to 66% of all environmental impacts throughout the wall assemblies' life cycle. These results suggest that in a low environmental impact energy mix, the initial embodied impacts can become the dominant source of environmental impacts in wall assemblies' life cycle. The results of this study will help decision makers understand the importance of assessing embodied impacts in the early stages of building design to conceive more sustainable buildings. These results will also guide practitioners in selecting more sustainable wall assemblies based on their environmental impacts.

Typescript (photocopy). / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

Presented in this thesis are the test results of combined processing and mechanical property characterisation studies using a developed cementitious mix reinforced by various fibre types and forms (with short and continuous lengths). The research is aimed to identify new Fibre Reinforced Cementitious (FRC) composites that have post-cracking ductility, much higher flexural strength and higher toughness than the control (matrix) material without reinforcement, and higher than traditional FRC composites. Laboratory work uses two methods to process the green forms, one by novel compression moulding and the other by hand lay-up that were both adapted from the fibre reinforced polymer industry. Results show a reduction in the hand lay-up water/binder ratio of 24 to 41% can be achieved by applying compression moulding with a pressure of 9MPa. One key processing challenge with short recycled milled carbon fibres is to make the mix uniform, even when the volume fraction is low at 2%. Microstructural investigations confirm that the carbon fibres, having mean length of 0.085 mm, always gave a very poor dispersion, and this is due to static electricity causing the fibres to form into balls (5 to 30 mm diameter). Overall, the study with short fibre reinforcements found that, by adding 2% by volume of the polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibres, the stress-strain curve exhibits strain-hardening behaviour accompanied by multiple cracking. Furthermore, the flexural properties show the material to possess ductility, toughness and mean strength that, at 13 MPa, is two times higher than the control material. It is observed that the hydrophilic nature of PVA and the fibres surface roughness play a significant role in an increased bonding strength with this short fibre. When introducing continuous fibre reinforcement in the form of fabrics it is shown that the volume fraction of fibres should be no more than 5%. Unsuccessful green form specimens were a consequence of having a higher volume fraction by introducing more fabric layers. Test results show that materials reinforced with carbon fabrics give an FRC material with much improved mechanical properties, in terms of post-cracking strength, strain at peak stress and toughness (energy absorption) at peak stress. Higher overall bond strength might be attributed to an apparent increase in interfacial contact area between fibres and cement matrix and improved mechanical anchoring from the fabric’s construction. Microstructural investigations confirm that good matrix penetrability between the filaments of the tow or bundle is essential in order to maximise the reinforcing efficiency of the fabric. Investigated are two novel methods for modifying the continuous unidirectional carbon fibre reinforcements to improve the overall bond strength, by enhancing matrix penetration through and across the reinforcement plane. In one method the fabric is cut into strips to leave spaces (holes) between parallel reinforcement units for the matrix material to bridge across, while in the second method the fabric receives a surface treatment by immersion in Ethanol alcohol. Test results show that, with compression moulding and the strip form of reinforcement at 5% volume fraction the FRC composite has a flexural strength of 75 MPa. This flexural strength is ten times higher than the measured strength of the control material. The experimental research reported in this thesis shows that to achieve ‘unusual’ composite action and a relative high stress at loss of proportionality requires a continuous fibre reinforcement that can be treated or non-treated. Given the considerable increase in mechanical properties achieved using such fibre reinforcement at 5% the most promising FRC materials require to be further evaluated to find suitable candidates for load bearing products.