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Construction has been around us humans since the beginning of stone age, and probably will be with us as long as we exist. Our world population is growing at a rapid pace, and we are in need of new construction more than ever before, and at the same time tackling the demand of building larger and more complex structures. It is one of the largest industries we have today, but it has severely been lacking in productivity rate the past two decades. Other leading industries are constantly evolving by introducing modern methods and processes, whereas the construction sector is falling more and more behind. According to the report Reinventing Construction (McKinsey Global Institute, 2017), there is an opportunity to boost the construction industry's productivity rate by 60% by implementing modern methods and new technology. Some innovation is starting to make promising changes in the area of construction, but the industry is far behind and have a long way to catch up.  The aim of this master thesis in Advanced Product Design was to explore how we can boost productivity at large scale construction sites and envision a product system that allows the stakeholders involved to communicate, document and share vital product information and media with each other.  The project resulted in Garmin Crew, a physical product solution for on-site construction workers, which in turn is a part of a holistic cloud system that every stakeholder involved in a construction project is a part of. It empowers the construction workers to share changes and problems, as well as receive drawing updates on the go, directly to their device.  This report includes the research, thought and design process of the Garmin Crew development.

Ng Yat Chiu Patrick. / "Architecture Department, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Master of Architecture Programme 1997-98, design report." / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 112-113). / Synopsis / Existing State / Background of Hong Kong --- p.2-3 / Background of Astronomy --- p.4-7 / Astronomy in Hong Kong --- p.8 / Client Profile & Users Group --- p.9-11 / Site Selection --- p.12 / Site Analysis --- p.13-18 / Constraints --- p.19 / Opportunities --- p.20-21 / Discussion of Issues --- p.22-24 / Future State / Formulatoin of Program --- p.25-33 / List of Activities --- p.34 / Schedule of Accommodation --- p.35-36 / Design Proposal / Design Philosophy --- p.37 / Site Aspect --- p.38-41 / Design Development --- p.42-66 / Final Design / Site Approach --- p.67 / Site Zoning --- p.68 / Site Setting out --- p.69 / Museum Sequence --- p.70 / Modern Astronomy & Space Science Museum --- p.71 / Star Odyssey --- p.72 / Myth and Legend --- p.73 / Zodiac --- p.74 / Ancient Astronomical Instrument --- p.75 / Cosmology and Observatory --- p.76 / Reservoir and Water Edge --- p.77 / "Cafeteria, Internet Cafe & Contemporary Interest Topic" --- p.78 / Astronomical Observatory & Star Gazing Classroom --- p.79-80 / Environmental / Use of Energy --- p.81-86 / Lighting --- p.87-88 / Natural Ventilation --- p.89 / HVAC System --- p.90-91 / Plumping & Drainage --- p.92-93 / Life Safety / Means of Escape --- p.94-95 / Construction / General Structure --- p.96 / Special Structure --- p.97-98 / Construction Sequence --- p.99-101 / Cost Analysis Appendices --- p.102-103 / Appendices / Precedents Studies --- p.104-111 / Bibliography --- p.112-113 / Acknowledgement --- p.114

Mount Graham, in Southern Arizona supports valuable, ecological communities and at least one endangered species, the Mt. Graham red squirrel. The area is managed by the U.S. Forest Service. Elevation, dryness, sky clarity and freedom from light pollution at Mt. Graham make it a desirable site for astronomy. The University of Arizona presented a proposal to the Forest Service for the development of a multi-telescope observatory on the mountain. This has generated much controversy due to the opposition of environmentalists who fear the potential impacts of development on the mountain. Eleven potential sites for astrophysical development have been identified, with varying impacts on the ecosystem. They are ranked according to their suitability for development, using multiple criteria decision making techniques. The results are very consistent and robust, both within and across techniques and can be useful for decision support and conflict management purposes.

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1986 W37 / Master of Landscape Architecture

Os empreendimentos de construção civil são um dos maiores causadores de impactos ao meio ambiente. Essa pesquisa justifica-se assim pela necessidade da minimização de tais impactos e do desenvolvimento de ferramentas para a gestão ambiental, aplicáveis no âmbito das empresas construtoras. A aplicabilidade de sistemas de gestão ambiental em empresas construtoras de edifícios é determinada por meio da caracterização dos aspectos ambientais de seu processo produtivo e também da discussão do panorama político e legislativo, setorial e acadêmico, que demonstram a tendência por uma construção mais sustentável. A análise dos elementos propostos pela norma ISO 14001:1996 também justifica a opção pela gestão ambiental em empresas construtoras, uma vez que se apresenta como uma forma coerente e viável de padronizar a ação destas empresas sobre os aspectos ambientais identificados. E, finalmente, para ilustrar a aplicabilidade de sistemas de gestão ambiental em empresas construtoras de edifícios é proposta uma metodologia específica integrando os conceitos da gestão ambiental à gestão da qualidade e atuando sobre os seus pontos críticos. Como fundamentos para a elaboração desta metodologia, é feita uma análise das similaridades entre os sistemas de gestão e, principalmente, uma análise das experiências observadas nos estudos de caso e nos depoimentos apresentados por empresas construtoras, incluindo a observância de suas especificidades, necessidades e dificuldades. / The necessity to minimize the environmental impacts that come from construction activities, the existence of environmental management tools and available site solutions, they all justify this research. The applicability of environmental management systems at contractors is presented by characterizing the environmental aspects of production, and also by showing the political, legal, industrial and academic scenario. This information illustrates and represents the tendency of sustainable construction. The analysis of the elements proposed by the ISO 14001:1996 also justifies the option to implement environmental management at contractors, once it presents a coherent and applicable way to standardize these organizations' actions concerning the identified environmental aspects. And finally, to demonstrate the applicability of environmental management systems at contractors, a specific methodology is proposed, integrating the environmental management concepts into quality management and acting on their crucial issues. The analysis of the similarities found between these two management systems and, mainly, the analysis of the experiences observed on case studies and speeches presented by contractors, including their specificities, necessities and difficulties, they both have worked as a basis for this methodology elaboration.

A construção civil frequentemente foi objeto de diversos estudos devido à sua importância no cenário econômico no país. Uma primeira tendência de debate compreendeu o setor da construção sob a chave do atraso, uma vez que suas atividades eram marcadas por condições precárias de trabalho, baixa organização produtiva, altos custos e desperdícios. A industrialização plena da construção representaria, de acordo com esses estudos, o desenvolvimento tecnológico do setor. Uma segunda tendência de debate, mais recente, identificou que, apesar do setor da construção carregar um histórico de precariedades, houve considerável avanço em relação à racionalização da produção nas últimas décadas. A partir dos anos 2000, no Brasil, empreendimentos habitacionais de grande envergadura destinados à baixa renda foram promovidos por construtoras e incorporadoras através de recursos públicos. A questão que se coloca é como se viabilizou tal produção massiva de moradias, em um curto período de tempo, no âmbito dos canteiros de obras? O objetivo principal desta pesquisa, portanto, é identificar e analisar diferentes tendências de industrialização nos canteiros de obras da produção em larga escala da habitação. A partir de três estratégias metodológicas de pesquisa bibliográfica, de campo e documental , analisamos a produção em alguns canteiros de obras de duas empresas construtoras. Identificamos, na produção dos empreendimentos habitacionais de larga escala, a implementação de estratégias de organização, de gestão e de controle que permitiram ganhos expressivos de produtividade. Não se tratava, nos casos analisados, da industrialização plena da construção, mas sim de um processo intenso de racionalização da produção. / Civil construction has often been a subject of several studies due to its importance for the economic scenario in the country. At first, the construction sector was understood as a synonymous of economic backwardness, since its activities were grounded by precarious working conditions, low productive organization, high costs and wasting. According to those studies, only the fully industrialization of the construction would represent the technological development of the sector. A second discussion tendency has identified that despite the insecurity historic of the construction industry, there has been considerable progress related to the production rationalization in the recent decades. From the 2000s in Brazil, large-scale housing projects destined for low-incomes were promoted by construction companies and developers through public resources. At this point, the question that arises is how did such a massive production of housing become possible in a short period of time in the scope of building sites? Therefore, this researchs main goal is to identify and analyze the industrialization trends in the building sites of the large-scale housing production. Based on three methodological research strategie bibliographical, field and documentary this research analyzed the building sites of two construction companies. It was identified at the production of large-scale housing developments, the implementation of organizational, management and control strategies which allowed significant gains on productivity. In the analyzed cases, it was not about the fully industrialization of construction, but an intense process of production rationalization.

Risk mitigation decisions for civil infrastructure exposed to rare natural and manmade hazards are often impacted by risk aversion, a behavioral phenomenon in which the decision maker's perception and judgment of risk are systematically distorted, resulting in decisions that might be viewed as excessively conservative when compared to those from a traditional minimum expected cost analysis. This study addresses how decisions regarding structural safety are affected by the attitudes of the decision-maker toward risk using decision models, such as cumulative prospect theory, that allow risk-averse behaviors to be modeled quantitatively. Perspectives on the general characteristics of risk-aversion are first drawn from risk pricing techniques in the insurance industry. These perspectives are then refined for structural engineering applications by investigations of decisions involving seismic retrofit of unreinforced masonry structures in San Francisco, CA and aseismic design of a steel moment frame in Vancouver, BC. Risk attitudes when confronting extreme wind hazards are also assessed using a decision by the North and South Carolina Code Councils to waive a provision in the International Residential Code that would have required additional windborne debris protection in residential construction. An examination of risk attitudes toward competing natural hazards is then introduced by comparing decisions related to wind and seismic effects in areas where both hazards may be significant. These investigations have led to tentative conclusions regarding the role of risk aversion in the assurance of structural safety and in code-related decisions and suggest avenues for future study.

published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration