cometadata/datacite-titles-descriptions-related-identifiers huggingface dataset:
DOI: 10.12755/isec.res.2014.88
title: THE DEVELOPMENT OF WIND FARMS

description: The Eastern Cape in South Africa has been identified as having ideal characteristics for the development of wind farming, and thus the industry has grown in this area. Wind energy has been identified as a tool to create jobs; as the demand for electricity increases and renewable energy sources become a necessity, the South African Government has provided targets and incentives to attract investors into the industry. This study investigates why wind farms attract public resistance. It also investigates if wind energy is expensive compared to other sources of energy in South Africa and the Eastern Cape. A descriptive survey was conducted with two associations related to the study. Essential findings include: The largest impact that wind farm developments have on the environment is their visual pollution. Wind-generated energy provides the best return on investment and the second-best capital cost per megawatt in comparison with other sources of energy. In the Eastern Cape, wind as a resource is consistent enough to realise a financial return, and could be used to a large extent in terms of provision of power to the national grid.
DOI: 10.12755/isec.res.2014.89
title: ASSESSMENT OF LEED REQUIREMENTS FOR ENERGY AND ATMOSPHERE FOR DEVELOPING A LOCAL CERTIFICATION SYSTEM

description: Building construction is a major industry that uses a considerable amount of energy and causes extensive atmospheric pollution. Around 30-40% of energy consumption as well as 15% of greenhouse gas emissions originate from construction activities. As a result, sustainability is of special importance, from the extraction of construction materials to building operation and maintenance. Given the increasing demand for energy worldwide, energy efficiency and renewable energy sources have special importance for a sustainable future. Green building certification systems, with their increasing importance and popularity in developing and developed countries, pursue higher goals for energy efficiency and pollution prevention. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is the preferred rating system in the world. LEED assigns 32% of the available rating points to the energy and atmosphere category. The subject country of this study, Turkey, is developing local certification systems based on the characteristics of the Turkish construction industry. The leading study, Turkish National Green Building Certification - Homes (TNGBC-H), has not been introduced yet as it is still being developed. This study focuses on the codes and standards that will possibly be used in these certification systems, such as the Code for Building Energy Performance prepared by the Turkish Ministry of Environment and Urbanization, and the Turkish standards related to energy and atmosphere. This paper compares the standards and regulations referred to by LEED and TNGBC-H and makes suggestions for a coherent and efficient future certification system in Turkey.
DOI: 10.12755/isec.res.2014.90
title: SUSTAINABILITY ASSESSMENT OF THE REPLACEMENT OF CLAY BRICK WALLS WITH IN-SITU COMPOSITE SANDWICH WALLS

description: Clay bricks are used for house construction in Western Australia. Clay bricks produce large amounts of construction and demolition waste, and have a large carbon footprint. In order to achieve energy savings and greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets, there is a need to use an alternative wall system. The objective of this paper is to undertake a sustainability assessment of the replacement of clay brick walls with in-situ composite sandwich walls (CSW). A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) tool has been applied to assess the carbon footprint and embodied energy consumption for non-insulated and insulated brick and CSW. The LCA analysis identified the stages or inputs/process causing the most significant impacts for determining further improvement opportunities. The findings indicate that a significant GHG reduction and energy saving can be achieved.
DOI: 10.12755/isec.res.2014.91
title: IMPLEMENTATION OF SAFETY MEASURES IN STONE QUARRIES

description: Safety measures in stone quarries are investigated through a questionnaire for safety requirements and the degree of compliance distributed to managers and workers of selected quarries in northern Jordan. Responses showed that while health and technical safety measures are applied in most quarries, safety awareness measures are unimplemented in all surveyed quarries despite the claim by quarry managers and workers that awareness programs do exist. Preliminary results indicate a correlation between the level of education and experience of both quarries managers and workers and the frequency and severity of work accidents.
DOI: 10.12755/isec.res.2014.92
title: COMPARATIVE ERGONOMIC ASSESSMENT OF SLAB FORMWORK SYSTEMS

description: The economic efficiency of formwork systems does not depend only on the cost of the product; the achievable performance on the construction site has also a big influence on the selection process. This performance is connected to various factors, such as the number or weight of the individual items, or the required height of the formwork surface. In the course of this research project, four different slab formwork systems performing similar jobs were investigated, enabling a comparison based on an ergonomic assessment. The evaluation of the different systems proved that results and expectations correspond, in this case tasks were reviewed separately for individual systems. Comparing the systems directly, by using the calculated points of the ergonomics evaluation for an average work process, the results display that the least onerous system achieved the highest individual score values. These results led to the assumption that ergonomic scores should not be the sole base for a decision; therefore the performance progress was included and relative ergonomic values for a typical formwork surface were calculated. The result of this evaluation is in line with expectations for the strain of individual systems. The different results between single-task and performance-related evaluations illustrated that, for the assessment of health and safety issues combined with economic factors, not only was the single-task evaluation important, but also an overall view should be taken for a typical scope of work.
DOI: 10.12755/isec.res.2014.93
title: DECISION PRINCIPLES FOR ASCENT SUPPORTS IN BUILDING CONSTRUCTION

description: Ladders are the ascent system most commonly used to scale up a building, due to the low initial costs compared to other ascent equipment. The insufficiency of this approach is shown in an economic comparison of ladders, stair towers, and scaffoldings with integrated ascent support. Based on empirical studies, cost data and the current state of scientific knowledge, the ascent support with the highest economic value can be determined by considering safety, cost, time, stress, physical stress and strain, and frequency of use. A survey evaluated vertical transport routes, the ascent systems ladders, stair towers, and scaffoldings with integrated ladders. The findings indicate that from an economic point of view, ladders should be used only on construction sites where less than 54 ascents were performed each day. This leads to the assumption that for typical construction sites, with at least 6 ascents per person per day and a site usage for a period longer than one week, the operation of ladders is uneconomical.
DOI: 10.12755/isec.res.2014.94
title: INNOVATION DRIVERS IN CONSTRUCTION

description: The construction industry is labeled as an industry that highly sticks to established practice without sufficient innovation. Nowadays, construction organizations strive for survival by adopting cutthroat pricing to the detriment of product quality. This approach stifles long-term competitiveness. Innovation can be defined as ?successful exploitation of new ideas, where the ideas are new to unit of adoption?. Providing an accurate definition is considered to be one of the most crucial means to enhance competitiveness. In spite of enormous literature on the definitions of innovation, there are limited studies exploring barriers and drivers of innovation in the Hong Kong construction industry. This study aims to fill those research gaps. Barriers to developing innovations have been identified, as well as the nature of the construction industry, conventional methods of procuring projects, and risks and cost of innovations. Discovering ways to identify opportunities and drivers of innovations have been explored through a case study. It is found that an innovative procurement system, sufficient information exchange, and a progressive employer drive innovations.
DOI: 10.12755/isec.res.2014.95
title: WORK-RELATED STRESS, RESTORATION AND PURSUIT OF SUSTAINABLE MOTIVATIONAL FACTORS IN CONSTRUCTION

description: Work-related stress and consequent poor performance of workers require diligent application of innovative strategies on construction sites to achieve a viable labor resource. Humankind?s desire for contact with nature serves an important adaptive function, in the form of psychological restoration that heals mental fatigue and the lack of motivation in the construction workforce. An underlying practical challenge is hereby offered in the ?greening of the construction site?, or the biophilic design concept, as a relevant aspect of construction management and planning. The question explored includes the nature of the biophilic construction site model (BCSM), and the specific design of workplaces to include ?dynamic healing gardens? tailored to the project, environment, and construction processes. The methodology surveys, compares, and analyzes construction sites in South Africa with or without the BCSM. Findings indicate that workers actually achieve restoration and rejuvenation in a natural environment in harmony with the promotion of health and safety, ergonomic strategies in construction, and attention-restorative therapy. We recommend that ?informal dynamic therapeutic gardens? be included within the construction planning of worksites, the interior of site offices and welfare facilities to enhance productivity and quality in construction.
DOI: 10.12755/isec.res.2014.96
title: EMPLOYEE EMPOWERMENT IN CONSTRUCTION: A REVIEW OF ISSUES

description: The construction industry is a high-risk commercial sector. As such, concerns regarding performance, waste, health and safety, insurance, legal/budgetary and cost compliances, and client satisfaction levels are an ongoing challenge. An increasing area of focus is human resources and, in particular, productivity. In place of traditional approaches to dealing with employee performance concerns, better job design and work systems are increasingly being seen as essential in alleviating poor employee/ independent-contractor performance. Academic research on employee empowerment in the construction industry has so far been limited and/or haphazard, despite advocates presenting it as a means to deal with worker dissatisfaction, absenteeism, turnover, poor quality work, and sabotage. This paper reviews the literature concerning the utility of employee empowerment in the construction industry, with particular emphasis on its practical benefits. The aim is to provide direction for future research and development in the construction and civil engineering fields.
DOI: 10.12755/isec.res.2014.97
title: CLIENT SATISFACTION FROM THE SERVICES OF ARCHITECTS ON BUILDING PROJECTS

description: The concept of satisfaction in the building industry is important, as the industry?s future depends on clients? satisfaction with their investments. The purpose of this study is to assess the satisfaction levels towards architects who, as the originator of building design, has a lot of responsibility in managing the project to a successful completion. Data are obtained through qualitative and quantitative surveys of a target population of clients and project managers from the clients? representatives. The variables are ranked with a mean score for both importance and satisfaction feedback regarding architect services. Results indicate higher scores for importance variables. However, many important variables were ranked lower on the satisfaction scale than they were on the importance scale. This research is an ongoing study as part of the authors? doctoral work. The final outcome is expected to improve the understating of client needs and satisfaction in Nigerian building industry.
DOI: 10.12755/isec.res.2014.98
title: SIMULATION OF BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION WORKS: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY

description: Bridge construction projects are associated with uncertainties partly due to sequencing issues, logistics, interactions, and resource constraints. Their construction is mostly cyclic and repetitive, yet complex, requiring innovative approaches to cope with its management. Construction projects planners seek methods to enable them to schedule bridge construction projects in consideration of these constraining factors. The main objective of this research is to develop a concept of a simulation-based modeling approach. It aimed to decide which data in real systems are important for the modeling of an operation, and in which way they must be gathered to help planners approach a proper simulation-based schedule. A case study project based in New Zealand was selected for this paper. It focuses on developing a resource-based model of bridge construction using a launching-girder construction method, taking into account the complex interactions among the project?s components. The discrete elements within the project and steps taken to develop a model are described in this paper. The study enhances knowledge on the applicability of simulation in repetitive construction operation, which in turn can provide more realistic models for scheduling progress.
DOI: 10.12755/isec.res.2014.99
title: SIMULATION MODELS FOR CEMENT LOADING PROCESS

description: Reduction of waiting and throughput times of cement trucks in cement-loading processes generally requires additional input resources, such as cement-loading machines and operators. However, a superfluous number of input resources can increase idle time. On the other hand, minimizing input server resources can significantly save costs for cement plants, but would result in excessive waiting time and throughput time of trucks, limiting the number of trips that trucks could travel to transport cement. To maximize the utilization of cement trucks and input resources, a trade-off between truck waiting time and server idle time is necessary. This study developed a simulation model maximizing the utilization factor of truck waiting time and machine idle time. By using EZStrobe software, the current operations of the cement-loading process were simulated based on data obtained between August 2012 and June 2013 at Asia Cement Plant, Thailand. The results show that a new design of operations with alternate layout, which operates by using four regular cement-loading channels with two extra channels during the 8-hour peak duration, is recommended for the cement-loading process to optimize performance, since they reduce truck waiting time, throughput time, and queue length, with the lowest machine idle time possible.
DOI: 10.12755/isec.res.2014.100
title: EFFECT OF GROSS FLOOR AREA ON CONSTRUCTION TIME

description: Studies indicate that there is a relationship between project cost and construction time for different construction markets. The purpose of this study was to validate the time-cost relationship model developed by Bromilow et al. (1980) in the context of commercial, residential, and industrial construction projects in India. The model was extended to include the magnitude of the projects in terms of gross floor area and construction types, todetermine whether these variables also have an effect on project duration. Data related to 99 construction projectsfrom all over India were obtained. The SPSSฉ program and the General Linear Model were used for analysis. Theresults show a statistically significant relationship between construction time and magnitude of the project, measured by gross floor area, at the level of significance (p-value) of &lt; 0.0001. This variable, when introduced the model, presumably acts as a proxy for actual construction cost. Construction type did not have a statistically significant relationship with construction time. A prediction model of construction time has been developed based on the results of the study. This model will be useful to constructors who work at an international level.
DOI: 10.12755/isec.res.2014.101
title: OPTIMUM CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT FLEETS FOR ROAD SURFACE OPERATIONS

description: Poor subgrade soil condition which is very sensitive to moisture presents a construction challenge for all pavement engineers. One of the case histories which became a dilemma for the Azadegan freeway in Tehran is the presence of waste material in subgrade soil. This paper discusses the site investigation to gather some useful information about the principal causes of these problems and deals with some in-depth Laboratory tests which have been done in the soil and asphalt laboratory of Tehran municipality. The pavement condition index known as PCI has been calculated to address all the deteriorations and causes to make a good decision. After analyzing all the gathered data, several methods has been discussed, for example, deep mixing, short concrete piles, shredded tires, and injection. Finally based on the lack of facilities and budget shortage, a retaining wall with geogrids has been chosen for this very special case which is right now under traffic flow. The optimum selection of equipment fleets in surface work operations is a key element to the success of any road construction project. For years, computer simulations have been used to predict the performance of construction operations based on process flows and resources utilized. However, simulations in essence are not a resource optimization platform, since all possible resource combinations should be examined within the simulation process itself. This paper proposes a hybrid mechanism that integrates discrete event simulation and genetic algorithms to efficiently determine the best resource combination for the surface work operations in road construction. The paper employs genetic algorithms (GAs) for minimizing the total cost of surface work operations examined. A dynamic link utilizes a simulation engine, which models a road?s surface work operations, to calculate the fitness of the generated chromosomes. An actual case study is further utilized to illustrate the effectiveness and performance of this hybrid mechanism.
DOI: 10.12755/isec.res.2014.102
title: CYCLONE MODELS FOR A SUBMERGED BREAKWATER

description: Kahului Harbor, located on the north shore of Maui, Hawaii, is approached by waves from the northwest in winter and northeast in summer. Wave energy entering the harbor during large swell events has repeatedly caused damage to existing protective structures and operations. As a result, a 706-meter long breakwater on the west was constructed to provide additional tranquility inside the harbor. A breakwater on the east with an 843-meter length was constructed to protect against waves approaching from north and northeast. However, strong wave energy still damages the harbor through the 12-meter deep and 183-meter wide entrance channel. Consequently, a submerged breakwater could be constructed in order to mitigate the wave energy that continues to damage the pier. The objective of making these models is to determine the most appropriate construction approach for the project based on construction duration and related variable costs. The study also aims to see if the project can be completed within a 5-month window during calm water. Two construction approaches were proposed?(1) using one construction crew per geotextile grid, and (2) using multiple crews per geotextile grid. Sensitivity analyses were performed on both proposed construction approaches by adjusting the number of laborers hired. This report provides the proposed geotextile submerged breakwater details based on construction plans viewed through the simulation models using EZStrobe.
DOI: 10.12755/isec.res.2014.103
title: DISTRIBUTION OF BREAKS IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

description: The performance of tasks with high physical loads corresponds very strongly with the necessity for breaks, which should be taken depending on the workload. The actual situation on construction sites is totally different, since breaks were traditionally arranged and almost unchanged over the last decades, with no connection to the workload. This claim was substantiated by a recent survey of supervisors (N = 64) and construction workers (N = 177). The results showed that the majority of respondents would not change the current break arrangement, particularly supervisors, who did not see the importance of an evaluated break distribution. However, a need for change is seen in statements of the construction workers? unions to reduce stress additionally caused by high temperatures. The suggested new approach for customized breaks in connection to physical loads in this study leads to the following: The overall working time should be split into three almost comparable shares, with a duration of 2.5 to 3.5 hours, to reach a total of 9 to 10 working hours. But even if these breaks are changed in the way we suggest, the authors would recommend additional breaks if the construction workers have to perform very strenuous work, or if climate conditions increase the strain.
DOI: 10.12755/isec.res.2014.104
title: FACTORS THAT AFFECT LABOR PRODUCTIVITY IN CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS

description: Construction productivity is one of the most critical parts for many construction projects. Low labor productivity leads to delays and cost overruns. The aim of this study is to determine the factors effecting construction productivity. Fifteen labor productivity factors were shown from previous studies. Those factors are briefly discussed in terms of the effects on the Thai construction industry according to project managers? experiences. This study is intended as an initial investigation for further study of labor productivity and on factors to gain effective results in productivity.
DOI: 10.12755/isec.res.2014.105
title: MODELING FREEZE AND THAW DAMAGE INCONCRETE DECKS USING DAMAGE MECHANICS

description: Research has documented that freeze-thaw cycles (FTCs) deteriorate mechanical properties of concrete such as strength and stiffness. This paper presents a general approach to model the changes in these mechanical properties. It also presents a generalized bounding surface approach, where limit surface is allowed to collapse inward and form a new failure surface (residual strength) corresponding to the number of FTCs. Within this formulation, softening equations for strength reduction and the increase in ultimate strain of concrete under FTCs are proposed. Stress-strain curves are obtained and the anisotropic degradation in mechanical properties is captured. The results show a good correlation with experimental data available in the literature.