There is a need to reduce the emissions of the country as a whole, to limit the risk of climate change due to Global warming and to meet targets set by the Kyoto agreement and the Climate Change Act. The large number of houses constructed annually in England and Wales have an important role to play in this. By reducing emissions, resulting from both the manufacture of construction materials and the energy used by house occupants, housing can help achieve the necessary emissions reductions. Alternative construction methods can contribute to this, either by having a lower embodied energy or by demonstrating good thermal properties to limit heat loss and hence operational energy. However, it is essential that both the construction industry and the public accept the alternative construction methods for them to be economically viable. In addition, there should be no loss of performance as a result of using alternative construction methods. Six methods of construction were studied in depth, including generating embodied and operational energy requirements and identifying their performance in terms of airtightness, wall thickness, and fire resistance. Public and industry acceptability were examined by use of questionnaires. A comparison of the data collected showed that identifying the best, or optimal, option visually is a challenging task as no single method of construction is best in all areas. A methodology was created to aid the selection of a wall construction method. The methodology is capable of examining multiple variables, in this work it is demonstrated with construction method and front building dimension. To identify the optimal method, optimisation by genetic algorithms is used. Use of the methodology was demonstrated with a case study based on the most frequently constructed housing type for England and Wales. The importance of weighting was demonstrated with the use of weightings based on concerns held by different parties. It was found that minimising the external wall area gives the optimal solution as less material is needed and there is less opportunity for heat loss. For the situation examined in the case study, Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) were identified as having the potential to reduce the environmental impact of housing construction in England and Wales without impacting saleability or performance.

No / There is growing demand for cost effective and reliable floating production systems to maximize marginal and new deepwater fields worldwide. Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels are considered to be the most economical and viable options to meet this demand. Yet, FPSO projects are prone to significant cost and schedule growth. On average, FPSOs have been reported to experience a 20% cost growth and are delayed by six months. Overruns and delays represent uncertainties for owners, contractors and financial institutions. In-depth interviews with twenty-three practitioners about their experiences with FPSO projects revealed that rework arising from design and construction errors were major contributors to cost and schedule growth. Key latent conditions contributing to rework are classified according to people, organization and project. Using retrospective sensemaking an examination of the determinant histories in a new build and conversion FPSO that experienced rework was undertaken. The sharing of experience(s) is deemed pivotal for reducing rework in future projects, particularly through the use of communities of practice that are able to stimulate situated learning to take place. A reduction in rework will not only reduce cost and schedule growth, improve operational performance and augment safety.

Vid nybyggnation eller modernisering av fartyg installeras ofta avancerade integrerade övervakningssystem i maskinkontrollrum. Det är därför viktigt att de maskinbefäl som ansvarar för driften av fartyget innehar en utbildning och kunskap om hantering och felsökning av övervakningssystemen. Syftet med studien är att undersöka om maskinbefäl får tillräckligt med utbildning på nya integrerade övervakningssystemen för att utföra sina arbetsuppgifter på ett säkert och tryggt sätt. I den här studien har en enkät skickats ut till maskinbefäl ombord nybyggda fartyg där individerna får möjlighet att svara på hur de upplever möjlighet att genomgå utbildning och få kunskap över hur systemen fungerar. Studien visar att majoriteten av de tillfrågade befälen upplever att de innehar tillräcklig kunskap om övervakningssystemen för att kunna utföra sina arbetsuppgifter på ett säkert och tryggt sätt. Studien visar att majoriteten av befälen inte har blivit erbjudna en utbildning på systemen och att de som inte blivit erbjudna hade önskat få en utbildning. Studien visade att utbildningarna som erbjudits ofta är produktspecifika och inte installationsspecifika vilket gör att de inte upplevs som optimala då konstruktion och lösningar ofta avviker emellan installationer med samma produkter. Utbildning erbjuds av tillverkaren men ofta är det bara en liten del av maskinbefälen som erbjuds en plats. Studien visade också att de befäl som inte fick utbildning behövde tillskansa kunskaperna genom att själv utbilda sig ombord antingen i samband med avlämning eller under ordinarie drift. Slutsatsen är att maskinbefälen bör genomgå en utbildning innan de mönstrar på första gången och att det bör ges möjlighet till en uppföljande utbildning efter att besättningen arbetat med systemen en tid. För att avlösande besättningar ska kunna få möjlighet att sätta sig in och tillgodogöra sig kunskap om systemen bör mer tid ges vid avlösning. / During construction of new ships or modernization of ships, integrated automation systems is often installed in the engine control room. It is of importance that the responsible engine officers are familiar with how the system works and that they can perform troubleshooting if eventual faults occur. The aim of the present study is to investigate whether the engineer officer get enough training on new integrated surveillance systems to perform their duties in a safe and secure manner. In this study a questionnaire was sent to engine officers signed on new ships where they got the opportunity to give their answer how they experience the possibility to be trained and acquire knowledge how the systems work. The majority of the engine officers who answered the questionnaires felt comfortable to operate the ship safely. The study showed that the training courses offered often were product specific instead of installation specific, which was not optimal because there can be differences between construction and handling after installations of the same products. The survey showed that a majority of the officers had not been offered training on the monitoring system. The officers who were not offered training expressed a wish to be able to participate in training. Training on the system is offered by the manufacturer but often only a few of the engine officers is offered training by the shipping company. Earlier studies show that crews that participates in the building and delivery process on the shipyard or during installation of a new system receives training on site, the officers that come onboard as reliever after trial run, maiden voyage or during normal operation often have to learn by doing. The conclusion is that the officers should be given the opportunity to participate in training before signing on and also a follow up training course after working with the system for a while. To give the relieving officers a chance to familiarize themselves and assimilate knowledge of the system, there have to be more time available in conjunction with leave.

The increasing demand for electrical energy to bring about development and social change has brought about renewed interest in the use of nuclear power as one of the sources of electrical energy. The nuclear power industry has had a few decades of low activity due to previous accidents which turned the public perception against the use of nuclear as an electrical power source. The low activity has resulted in the shortage of nuclear skills as the skill previously available is now aged and about to reach retirement. The South African Government has recently announced its commitment to having nuclear in the energy mix. This will require construction of new nuclear power plants. This research arises from the need to understand whether the required human capital will be available, looking specifically at technician level in the nuclear energy industry. The main research goal of the study was to find what training and development initiatives are currently being used in industry and what needs to be in place to ensure that the industry is ready for the nuclear new-build. The researcher than proposes training and development initiatives that should be put in place to meet the demand that will be created by the nuclear new-build. / Thesis (MSc (Engineering Sciences in Nuclear Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

The increasing demand for electrical energy to bring about development and social change has brought about renewed interest in the use of nuclear power as one of the sources of electrical energy. The nuclear power industry has had a few decades of low activity due to previous accidents which turned the public perception against the use of nuclear as an electrical power source. The low activity has resulted in the shortage of nuclear skills as the skill previously available is now aged and about to reach retirement. The South African Government has recently announced its commitment to having nuclear in the energy mix. This will require construction of new nuclear power plants. This research arises from the need to understand whether the required human capital will be available, looking specifically at technician level in the nuclear energy industry. The main research goal of the study was to find what training and development initiatives are currently being used in industry and what needs to be in place to ensure that the industry is ready for the nuclear new-build. The researcher than proposes training and development initiatives that should be put in place to meet the demand that will be created by the nuclear new-build. / Thesis (MSc (Engineering Sciences in Nuclear Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

The thesis is a project to newbuild a city community centre (house) with 2 above ground and one underground floor. The project is being processed in a stage for construction, with a focus on building and architectural design. Part of the thesis is building-physical and fire-fighting solutions.

This master’s thesis addresses the design concept of the new hotel building located in Valašské Meziříčí, a town located in the Zlín region of the Czech Republic. The hotel building consists of a total of 21 accommodation units, a restaurant, and a cafe. The accommodation units vary from double rooms and triple rooms to three-person apartments with a kitchen – providing an accommodation capacity of a total of 47 guests. The hotel is designed as a building with a cellar that consists of one underground and four above-ground floors. The parking spaces for guests and employees are located on the ground floor together with technical equipment such as ventilation systems and utility rooms. The first floor is divided into two parts – the hotel’s operational space and the guest’s section. These two parts are structurally divided with a separate access entrance leading to each part. The operational part consists of facilities for employees, kitchens with food storage rooms, and hotel management offices. The guest area is comprised of an entrance hall with a reception, a restaurant, and sanitary facilities. On the second floor, there is a cafe with a terrace, storage for bedding, a hotel lounge as well as seven accommodation units oriented to the southwest. The third floor consists of a freely accessible terrace, bedding storage, and a lounge. There are also another seven accommodation units with balconies and a two-person apartment with a kitchen. Apart from another the bedding storage and the lounge room, the fourth floor also has two two-room apartments with a kitchen and a balcony for three people. There are also four more accommodation units with a balcony that can house 2-3 people. The thermal insulation of the building is solved by the external thermal insulation composite system, internationally referred to by the abbreviation ETICS. The basalt wool insulation facade panels is used as the main thermal insulator on the external walls of the entire building.

This master´s thesis proposes a design for a new hotel in the Giant. This master´s thesis is elaborated in the form of project documentation for construction. The building is located in the village Spindleruv Mlyn in sloping terrain. The object is designed from a two-way wall system, the porotherm, and the ceilings are designed as stacked also from the porotherm system. The building is a rectangular ground plan with a saddle roof and a dormer. Roof cover is designed from Tondach-baked bags and design is made of wooden elements. The perimeter walls of the underground floor will be made of concrete blocks of BS Klatovy. The internal staircase will be reinforced concrete. The elevator shaft across all floors will be fitted with an evacuation lift. The building will be insulated with a certified ETICS thermal insulation system.

Hotel in Janské Lázně with restaurant. The building has four floors and its’s partly cellar with saddle roof. The building is from lime-sand blocks Silka. Hotel is determine for accommodation and alimentation of visitors..

I denna kandidatuppsats har den verkliga bostadsrättsmarknaden studerats ur ett perspektiv inriktat på spekulationsköp av nyproducerade bostadsrätter. Studien omfattar Stockholmsområdet och intervjuer med inblandade aktörer verksamma i områder har legat till grund för undersökningen. Byggbolag, fastighetsmäklare och spekulationsköpare har bistått med information som lett till insyn och fördjupning i spekulationsköpen som pågår av nyproducerade bostadsrätter. Samtliga parter är eniga om att spekulationsköp är vanligt förekommande på dagens bostadsmarknad. Under de senaste två åren har uppemot 30 procent av köpen inom nyproducerade bostadsrätter utgjorts av spekulationsköpare med syfte att göra en ekonomisk vinning. Det stora tidsspannet mellan köp och tillträde, som ofta uppgår till två år, utgör utrymme för bostadens marknadsvärde att stiga rejält i dagens uppåtgående bostadsmarknad. Tre grupper av spekulationsköpare har kunnat urskiljas. Dessa består först och främst av de rutinerade spekulationsköparna med stor koll på bostadsmarknadens prisutveckling. Den andra gruppen består av mer amatörmässiga spekulationsköpare som genom vänner hört hur stora vinster man kan göra. Den tredje gruppen utgörs av fastighetsmäklarna själva som givetvis är väl medvetna om prisutvecklingen, ofta före alla andra, och ser sin chans till snabba pengar. Gemensamt för dessa grupper är att det i hög grad rör sig om yngre män i 30-års åldern med en bra ekonomi. Små bostäder är av högst intresse men även större bostäder till en högre insats är aktuellt för de mer rutinerade köparna. Fastighetsmäklarna spelar en oberoende roll i spekulationsmarknaden, för dem utgör inte spekulationsköpen något problem. För byggherrarna är dock fenomenet problematiskt då det innebär negativa konsekvenser för företaget. Spekulationsköpen resulterar i fler avhopp, utnyttjande av företagens trygghetssystem, missnöjda slutkonsumenter samt en möjlig bidragande faktor till skenande priser och hysteri på bostadsrätter i Stockholm. Byggbolag har vidtagit flertalet åtgärder för att reglera spekulationsköpen. Bland annat förekommer begränsning till max ett pågående köp per kund, krav på lånelöfte, förhöjda kontantinsatser samt svarta interna listor på spekulationsköpare. Fastighetsmäklarna anser att byggbolagen innehar det största ansvaret för reglering av spekulationsköp då det är dem som prissätter bostäderna. Byggbolagen själva anser att ansvaret är fördelat hos flertalet aktörer såsom kommun, lagstiftning, bostadsrättsföreningar samt regleringar hos byggbolagen själva. / In this bachelor thesis the real housing market is studied from a perspective focused on speculative buying of newly built condominiums. The study covers the Stockholm area and interviews with the involved actors operating in this zone have been the basis for the investigation. Construction companies, real estate agents and speculative buyers have provided information that’s aided transparency, and depth of understanding in speculative purchases of newly built condominiums. All parties agree that speculative buying is common in today’s housing market. Over the past two years, up to 30 percent of the purchases of newly constructed condominiums have consisted of speculative buyers out to make a quick profit. The time span between purchase and access, which can be up to two years, allows the property time to react to the current market in Stockholm’s ever-rising housing market. Three groups of speculative buyers have been distinguished; the first group consists primarily of seasoned speculative buyers with a keen eye on price trends and today's housing market. The second group is more amateur, have little experience, but are well informed from friends and acquaintances that large profits can be made. The third group consists of real estate agents, they of course, are well aware of price trends often before anyone else, and see an opportunity for fast profits. Common to all three groups are males in their 30’s, with substantial backing. Smaller condominiums are of greatest interest but also larger ones appear among the more routine buyers. Real estate agents play an independent role in the speculative market, for them the speculative buying is not a problem. For building companies, however, the phenomenon has become problematic because it implies negative consequences for the company. Speculation purchases result in more defections, abuse of security systems, and disgruntled end users - as well as contributing to already soaring house prices in Stockholm. Construction companies have taken several measures to regulate speculative purchases. One of the factors, among others, is the limit of one single on going purchase per customer. Also restricted are increased cash contributions and notably the inclusion of internal black lists used to expose offending buyers. Real estate agents believe that construction companies hold most of the responsibility for the regulation of speculative buying, because they are setting the prices. Construction companies themselves believe that the responsibility is shared by stakeholders such as municipalities, legislation, housing associations – but should also expect internal regulating of their own companies.