In many urban cities, mixed-use development is becoming increasingly essential for the creation of an attractive and sustainable environment that promotes economic vitality, social equity and environmental quality. Due to the differences in scale, scope and intent, certain aspects within the project delivery process of mixed-use are not the same as "conventional" single-use projects. The objective of this paper is to highlight these aspects. Two cases in Southeast Asia serve to illustrate the uniqueness and challenges of mixed-use. In conclusion, the differences between mixed-use and single-use are evident in terms of the diversity of team members, the necessity of multiple market analyses, and a multi-layer (versus single-source) financing structure. Finally, issues concerning ownership tangles, land assembly, planning and application procedures, investment criteria of institutions have been identified as major pitfalls.

After the IMF shock, some major construction companies in Korea have been motivated to avoid and mitigate various risk factors which could be critical and catastrophic events to corporate revenue and organization internally or externally. It means that they are trying to introduce and set up a risk management plan and system suitable to their organization and culture. L construction co. ltd. is one of major construction companies that have been searching methodologies or technologies to manage various risk factors surrounding corporate marketing and project operation. This paper presents an unique approach to develop a model of risk management plan and system suitable to L construction itself focused on the construction phase.

This paper presents an evaluation model for the performance of Value Engineering Study (VES) for construction projects. The proposed model consists of 6 PEGs and 32 PEIs. The expertise of the proposed model was collected from VE experts in Taiwan using two-phase questionnaire survey. One real-life VES of construction projects was used to demonstrate how the proposed model works. The proposed model not only can be used by project owners to appraise the performance of VES team but also be used by the VES teams to conduct self-diagnosis, improvement, and motivation for achieving better performance. Additionally, the proposed model is capable of: (1) clarifying the defects of VES and avoiding committing same mistakes, (2) assisting inexperience team members to implement VES and catch the critical issues of a VES.

The infrastructure in korea has been improved drastically since July 7th, 1970 which was the first highway completed date in Korea (Seoul-Pusan). This is one of the major factors for the competitiveness of a country. Now the total length of highway in Korea is more than 2000km. However Korea is 11th in the trade volume in the world, the SOC level of Korea is around 20th at most in the world (IMD 2004). The infrastructure in Korea comparing other developed countries is far below, which gives the impact of cost of goods, even twice expensive in transporting goods through highways, railways and ports etc. Now the government budget is gradually spending more for welfare and health care side. The most of additional expense of welfare is increasing rather than SOC budget is decreasing or staying as it is as 2003. The government may think that the level of SOC is enough in point of view of preference input of budget such as welfare and health care etc. However the SOC level in Korea is far form the competitiveness of the country. The main points of this paper is to show that where Korea is in point of SOC level to go for developed country, and what to do to facilitate BOT, BTO and BTL projects. Korean government has tried to improve the practice of PPI (Private Participation of Infrastructure) with the Act on Private Capital Inducement in 1994 and the Act on Private Investment in 1997.

The need of constructing high-tech facilities is one of the important issues concerning the competitiveness by the high-tech companies. It, simultaneously, offers a magnificent opportunity for construction participants. Nevertheless, the high-tech construction is experience-based, resulting in little related construction knowledge that has been statistically analyzed and documented. This study measures and confers with the profit patterns causing the disparity between the traditional and high-tech construction. The database was the result of collecting detailed information of 65 construction projects from eight construction companies, including detailed records of over 20 main construction operations in each project. All of these were performed during the recent 10 years and encompassed in the project types of the high-tech construction, residential building, and commercial building. Rendering suggestions regarding profit management and expecting to economize cost of learning from inexperience while extending to the high-tech construction were both presented.

The construction environment is dynamic in nature and is characterized by various degrees of uncertainties. The uncertainties such as lack of coordination, non availability of resources, condition of temporary structures and varying weather conditions have a significant impact on estimating the duration of activities. These are subjective, vague and imprecisely defined and are expressed in subjective measures rather than mathematical terms. Conventionally, various quantitative techniques such as CPM and PERT have emerged in construction industry. These techniques cannot solve the above problems and rely on human experts which may not always be possible. In such situations Artificial Intelligence tools such as fuzzy sets and neural networks handle such variables and provide global strategies. The present paper evaluates the effect of qualitative factors to identify the activity duration using new intelligent approach. The results are compared with conventional methods for effective project management. A case study is considered to demonstrate the applicability of fuzzy logic for project scheduling.

Administrative works of local governments in Japan always have been led by central government. Local government organizations have gotten used to control of central government, whose organization is divided vertically into divisions. Such organizations as lack of cooperation of each administrative division could not define strategic goal appropriate for their district independently and could not give an efficient and optimized solution to their strategic goal. Under existing management system, it will be difficult for local governments to rapidly adapt to changing society. Under these circumstances, it is necessary for local governments to structure new management system independent on central government's instructions in order to manage appropriately.

The tools, methods and measures used for project control reflect underlying theories of management. Management theory has been neglected in the construction industry, which has rather focused on tools and neglected theory. This paper contributes to the theory of project management by introducing and developing two fundamental and competing conceptualizations of management: MBM (Managing-by-Means) and MBR (Managing-by-results). Current project control and performance measurement practice is based on MBR. However, project control based on MBR may not be appropriate for managing dynamic projects. The paper present the Last Planner^TM System (LPS) and Process Variance Control (PVC) as examples of methods reflecting the MBM view. It is argued first that the MBM view is appropriate for managing uncertain, complex and quick projects. The paper also explores how MBR tools and techniques may be appropriately used within an MBM framework.

In the construction industry, complex works are carried out with significant resources under non-linear circumstances where clear concepts of project management could be of benefit to all parties and personnel involved. In this paper, we define the optimum project management configuration for construction management by using DSM (Design Structure Matrix). Furthermore DSM can be visualized as a network model, and then Graph Theory provides us the numerical results.

Despite very good reputation that Korean construction industrial firms had enjoyed until early 1990's in overseas markets, their participation abroad drastically declined after the delivery of two(2) million unit-housing project in the early 1990's and the foreign currency crisis that took place in the late 1990's. The revival of booming construction industry in domestic market is far beyond the expectation due to the long recession of the construction economy and government's severe restriction against real estate development. Under such crucial circumstances, the construction industrial firms' strategy to survive is the more active business promotion in overseas markets. However, the Korean construction industrial firms have to abandon the labor intensive strategy, through that they have enjoyed until the early 1990's, and turn to management oriented strategy which may be a new prosperous horizon and a new challenge as well, because the labor cost of newly developing countries is much more competitive. The aim of this study is to suggest how to cope with current market situations through a chronological survey based on the cost data prevailed during four decades from the 1960's until the 1990's in overseas markets.

Professional Construction Management (PCM) services have become more and more popular in Taiwan in the past decade. However, disputes between PCM consultant and the client on the performance of PCM services are also increasing. The evaluation of PCM performance is a tough task due to the lack of "physical product", such as the drawings finished by the architect. This paper is intended to propose a PCM performance evaluation system (PPES) based on Balanced Scorecard (BSC). A case study of PCM consultancy for a real world design/build project is conducted to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed BSC framework

Being in a knowledge-based industry, many construction organizations are seeking to manage their own knowledge in an effective way. To manage knowledge, the organizations must motivate in-house people to share their knowledge. However, some barriers to knowledge sharing do exist and researches on these barriers considering construction organizations' characteristics seem rare. This study aims to identify key barriers to knowledge sharing considering the characteristics of construction organizations. Based on the identification, strategic responses to each key barrier are presented in two perspectives of technical and behavioral approach to activate knowledge sharing.

This paper presents the possible effects and restrictions that may arise in the field of industrial construction due to compliance with relevant construction codes and regulations, as well as the ways they can be favorably handled in the design of industrial buildings. Designs should be based primarily on human design factors, while considering the human as the centre of the work environment. Design parameters should be described as a function of both the physical and psychosocial attributes of a person as well as the technical and economical aspects on the design of industrial construction. This paper is an examination of the connection that exists between design law (codes and regulations) and industrial construction. The relevant construction laws and regulations are described, including standards and codes of practice that designing and supervising engineers are obliged to observe. Possible solutions and consequences of development in the production, constructional, and ergonomic field of design are also discussed.

Contractor's opportunistic bidding behavior refers to contractor's deliberate low-bid, which cannot accord with the cost, and expectation for beyond-contractual reward (BCR), the compensation earned through cutting corners or claims after undertaking the construction project. This research applies System Dynamics to develop a model of contractor's pricing with consideration for dimensions of "cost", "market competition", and "BCR". Iterative computer simulations were performed to analyze the effects of contractor's pricing on the market price. The results were then examined by statistical analysis on data collected from 44 highway projects in Taiwan. It is found that the critical force driving the contractors to bid opportunistically is their excessive expectations in BCR under the current environment. Within the price competition mechanism, if the problem of BCR exists, even if the bidding system is further improved, contractors would still prefer opportunistic bidding behavior, and eventually make the whole construction industry operate ineffectively. Therefore, it is crucial to remedy the aforementioned BCR problem by more effective management policy.

As the application of NPM in waste administration branch this paper proposes a new waste management method in order to increase the efficiency of resources and reduce the quantity of waste. First the matrix method is suggested which comprehensively consider and integrate the proposals of different government departments. Moreover the inhabitant's attitude toward the new waste management measures was investigated. Based on the investigation the evaluation function was made, which include three elements: necessary budget, the effect of cost decrease and the environmental burden decrease. The optimal method of budget allocation to maximize social welfare is proposed under the condition of limited budget by the evaluation function. By applying this system further local governments will be able to determine their adequate service level and budget size.

This paper reflects on the ergonomical criteria for a humane working atmosphere in industrial buildings while respecting and paying close attention to the physical, mental, and stressful demands of the work environment. It describes effective construction codes and standards of practice and their importance in ensuring a safe environment for working people. Also addressed are the objectives for a productive work environment and its organization. The paper considers the significance of a proper working environment, the use of dangerous working materials, the use of proper ventilation, climate, and lighting to ensure that the productivity of the enterprise is met with common goals shared between employer and employee. The connection between the legal foundation and the design of industrial construction is the focus of this paper. It shows that the planning and executive persons are obliged to observe the relevant construction laws and regulations including standards and codes of practice. Additionally discussed are the possible solutions and consequences for development in the productional, constructional, and ergonomical fields of design.

Recently as people's values are changing from development phase into running stage after quality of life, so that the needs of environmentally friendly construction are gradually increasing. Also populace discontent about the pollution during construction process such as the noise and vibration caused by construction machinery is increasing. Even though it is impossible to eliminate the construction pollution fully, it is necessary to make efforts to reduce construction pollution to a minimum. In terms of construction site operating, the first possible step for solving these matters directly is that the necessary sum of expenses must be secured as the environmental management costs in the conceptual phase. However, in fact, the environmental management costs have not been secured in the budget. Generally it is the major reason not arising proper activities to prevent the pollution in the construction site. The purpose of this research is to suggest the efficient budgeting method regarding Environmental management costs to ensure the necessary sum of environmental management expenses. To provide an efficient budgeting method, interviews with the person in charge of environment management was conducted. 78 construction sites was surveyed and environmental management costs were analyzed through their historical data from the survey. According to the results of analysis, the ratio of environmental management costs is revealed 0.45% of construction cost as average comparing 0.2% of legal limit. And usually the environmental management cost was appropriated into the safety management budget. So it is needed to isolate environmental management budget securely and modify the ratio of Environmental conservation Costs in Construction Technology Management Act.

The purpose of this study is to improve regulations such as law and standard contract forms related to defects liability in Korea. Defects liability has been one of the major causes of construction contract disputes in Korea in recent years. It is important to avoid or resolve disputes regarding defects liability through regulations containing clear criteria and to specify the standard regarding the mitigation and remission of the contractor's defects liability. This study was carried out through document research and analysis of judicial precedents. The following are the courses of improvement regarding the mitigation and remission of defects liability in Korea. First, laws and standard contract forms must contain more detailed clauses regarding exemption of a contractor's defects liability, which clearly set out the scope of the defects liability of the contractor. Second, the current system for defects liability favors the owner rather than the contractor - it is necessary to change the defects liability system in order to give the owner and the contractor an equal standing. Third, strict liability is taken on by the contractor even when the term of guarantee for defects lasts longer than the legally set period of liability for defects. Hence, it is necessary to improve the system by alleviating the liability of the contractor through applying negligence liability as opposed to strict liability during the term of guarantee.

The Japanese construction industry has faced on lack of quality that is one of the strong confidence fields. It is said that the main reason of this trend is in the case of construction supervisor's defects. But real problems are both the degree of drawing's completion and design activities in construction phase by architect. The purpose of this paper examines that the role of construction supervisor in Japan is changing to the management field and construction conformation, based on the analysis of the WBS based on international comparison among Korea, China, the UK, the US, and Japan.

International contractors must consider the substantial risks related to unexpected foreign exchange fluctuation incurred by conducting their business and using foreign currencies in foreign countries. Most international contractors attempt to minimize foreign exchange exposure within a manageable range because it may influence the company's fundamental financial structure, reduce market value or profit margins, or disrupt ongoing and future projects. This research provides a qualitative study of existing foreign exchange exposure (transaction, operation, and translation exposure) and current & effective foreign exchange risk management in American and Korean international contractors, as they represent both new and long-time members of the global construction market. Finally, recommendations of techniques for new and existing international contractors to minimize and better manage foreign exchange risk will be offered.

Contract design plays a key role in the life cycle of BOT project. All project management activities and operation processes are arranged in consistence with the document of BOT contract which the public sector ensures that the respective roles and responsibilities set out in the contract are fully understood and fulfilled to the contracted performance criteria. With limited theories to deal with some fundamental issues of BOT contract design, we try to collect data from case studies and formulate several practical principles. The conclusions presented in this paper are analyzed from two cases, one is based on an early case in the United Kingdom, and the other based on the Taiwan High Speed Railway case. The purpose of this paper is not about covering all legal issues about BOT contract design, but rather, our work provides common considerations applicable to the contract parties of a broad range of BOT contracts. The results in this paper shall propose some fundamental principles of the BOT contract design.

Indicators measuring performance and the level of informatization of construction companies have recently been developed. Construction companies' investment in informatization, however, is still relatively low compared to that of other companies in different industries, since it has been difficult in quantifying the effect of informatization on total performance. This study, therefore, conducted an industry survey using indicators provided by previous studies, and used them to calculate performance and informatization indices for construction companies. Finally, it suggested a quantitative analysis of the effect of informatization on these companies' performance.

This paper reviews the literature on safety culture focusing particularly on research carried out from 1998 onwards. The term 'safety culture' is clarified as it is typically applied to organizations, to safety and particularly to construction safety. Some clarifications in terms of levels of aggregation, positive safety culture and safety performance are provided by presenting appropriate empirical evidences and their theoretical developments. Safety culture is a subset of organizational culture that is thought to influence employees' attitudes and behavior in relation to an organization's ongoing health and safety performance. Implications for future research in the area are addressed, as safety culture has in recent years become the focus of much attention in all industries, and in the construction industry in particular.

Classic construction safety management functions - such as recruitment, training, supervision, etc. - are determined by different conceptions of the role and nature of management effectiveness, and these conceptions are underpinned by related cultural values. This paper attempts to shed some light on in what way, and to what extent, does the national cultural value orientations influence individual preferences for safety management policies and practices. It presents the empirical results of a questionnaire survey administered in Pakistan targeting construction managers with safety management responsibilities. Based on the survey findings, the paper argues that there is a causal link between cultural values' orientations and preferences for, and perceptions of, safety management policies and practices.

In this paper, the authors explained the overview of a method for detecting location of worker for development of a monitoring system for project progress management using RFID technology. Data is the RSSI (Receive Signal Strength Indication) from RFID tag attached to the worker installing a rolling shutter, and was obtained from antennas and RFID readers set around the construction site. Neural network was done using RSSI collected and the area where worker is performing a task, and an estimation model of the working area was prepared. The network had a range of the percentage of correctly classified from 62% to 92%. The authors suggested the method to make estimate by using integrated networks prepared in respect of RFID readers, and showed the percentage of correctly classified of 84.3%. According to the result, the authors confirmed the possibility of the monitoring system with RFID technology, and mentioned the factors necessary to develop for further practical use.

Needs of automation and computerization in the construction industry has been recognized but the implementation of e-business solutions with project management systems has not been fully explored. In order to cope with different management practices in home office and project sites, integration of two popular systems, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Project Management System (PMS) is essential. The objective of this study is to find ways to functionally and systematically integrate ERP and PMS. With the integration of ERP and PMS, a project will be managed much more efficiently and effectively. It is expected that this study will benefit system integrators and help them to understand construction management processes and integrate the solutions with minimized programming work.

In the modern, distributed and dynamic construction environment it is important to exchange information from different sources and in different data formats in order to improve the processes supported by these systems. Previous research has demonstrated that (i) a significant percentage of construction data is stored in semi-structured or unstructured data formats (ii) locating and identifying such data that are needed for the important decision making processes is a very hard and time-consuming task. In this paper, an automated methodology for the classification and retrieval of construction images in AEC/FM model based systems will be presented. Specifically, a combination of techniques from the areas of image processing, computer vision, and content-based image retrieval have been deployed to develop a method that can retrieve related construction site image data from components of a project model.

In recent years, use of the web technologies and on-line process has immensely swapped single-user platform practice. This study attempted to develop preliminary cost estimating program by means of Web technologies based on statistical modeling results. A prototype Web-based Preliminary Item-Level Cost Estimating System (WBPILCES) using open source software was developed as an on-line estimating tool in this research. The primary objective is to study the possible flexibility of implementing a centralized information system that will be maintained by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) IT division. The full-scale deployment of proposed information architecture is expected to seamlessly integrate with legacy database system currently used by TxDOT so as to streamline data storage, cost growth tracking and estimates documentation.

Most information within a construction project roots in drawings and contract documents. Although several methodologies, such as A/E/C and 4D, have employed such a peculiarity to integrate project information, they failed to integrate information in terms of efficiency and consistency. In this research, a MD (Multi-Dimensional) CAD model is developed to improve the process of integrating information for construction projects. This research describes the processes of creating MD CAD objects and embedding information required throughout the project life cycle within MD CAD building components. In addition, a case study is presented to show the efficiency and effectiveness of using MDIIS (Multi-Dimensional Information Integration System) to integrate information for construction projects.

Automation in construction has been restricted to special classes of tasks. Curtain walls can be handled like standard construction materials; they are heavy but breakable, and are large but require precise installation. These characteristics make the installation of curtain walls ideal for robotic automation. There are two methods for developing construction robots: The first is approving the robot performance and applying it to the current construction methods. The second is admitting the limitation of the current robot technology and trying to optimize the current method of construction to apply the robot system. In this study, we derived the performance requirements of a curtain wall-installation robot. We also tested this robot at a real construction site and evaluated its performance. Finally, the results were analyzed, and we proposed additional research.

The construction industries are facing problems of productivity, quality of work, safety, and the completion of projects in time. In construction industry a worker is exposed to hazardous environment, and has to do more physical work, effecting his health and also productivity. The automation and robotics can offer solution to many problems of the industry. In the past the major barrier to construction automation is the lack of electronic components and systems. This is solved now with the development of information technology, and the current obstacle is the high cost of automated systems, shortage of public money for R&D, and problems of acceptance. The robots employed in construction have followed the same concept as those employed in manufacturing. However, construction industry requires a different kind of robot compared to manufacturing Industry. The robots are stationery and product moves along the assembly line in manufacturing sector, but construction robots have to move about the site because buildings are stationary and of large size. The construction robots must function in adverse weather conditions, including variation in humidity, and temperature and increase the overall construction productivity rate. The major objective of the paper is to review the existing applications of building robots and to assess their implementation in building industry. A case study is considered for the implementation of robots for the painting work of the University Building at Saifabad PG College of Science, Hyderabad, India.

An outline of an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model for bridge condition rating and the results of a pilot study are presented in this paper. Most BMS implementation systems involve an extensive range of data collection to operate accurately. It takes many years to effectively implement a BMS using existing methodologies. This is due to unmatched data requirements. Such problems can be overcome by adopting the ANN model presented in this paper. The objective of the proposed model is to predict bridge condition ratings using historical bridge inspection data for effective BMS operation.

The research presented in this paper enables real-time 3D modeling to help make construction processes ultimately faster, more predictable and safer. Initial research efforts used an emerging sensor technology and proved its usefulness in the acquisition of range information for the detection and efficient representation of static and moving objects. Based on the time-of-flight principle, the sensor acquires range and intensity information of each image pixel within the entire sensor's field-of-view in real-time with frequencies of up to 30 Hz. However, real-time working range data processing algorithms need to be developed to rapidly process range information into meaningful 3D computer models. This research ultimately focuses on the application of safer heavy equipment operation. The paper compares (a) a previous research effort in convex hull modeling using sparse range point clouds from a single laser beam range finder, to (b) high-frame rate update Flash LADAR (Laser Detection and Ranging) scanning for complete scene modeling. The presented research will demonstrate if the FlashLADAR technology can play an important role in real-time modeling of infrastructure assets in the near future.

Web-based collaboration platforms present construction project teams with an opportunity to improve the efficiency of document exchange, better control project communications and enhance team collaboration. However, many construction professionals are still not convinced that these platforms, in their current form, are fit-for-purpose and yield sufficient efficiencies for the construction procurement process. In an attempt to improve the current ICT diffusion process, this paper evaluates the implementation of a web-based collaboration tool on the Lane Cove Tunnel (LCT) project in Sydney, Australia. Moreover, the paper provides strategies for achieving more effective implementation of web-based collaboration platforms in the construction sector.

Because each building is built in different time, there exists different equipment to meet the need for each age. Before the announcement of "Community Management Regulation", the old communities usually suffer the problem of lower requirement and living quality. This may bring some security problem that we should face. In this research, we construct "Building Administration System" to provide users a tool to perform a standard operation procedure in community management. This powerful tool will also help manager to effectively handle important tasks in property administrating by reducing unnecessary documentation. In the current regulation, all community committee members shall be voted each year. This will seriously affect the cumulative of management knowledge and cause a worse efficiency. In this research, we use Object Oriented concept and Visual Modeling techniques to combine with Interbase, ER/Studio, and Delphi to develop this management system for Building Property. Through the help of current computing technology, we can solve the problem that can not be inherited and the storing of the huge amount of data. In this system, we develop the modules such as Basic Data Module, Administrative Expense Calculation, Receipt Print, and Inquiring for Inheritance. In this system, we have integrated all houses, parking lots, and public equipments in it. Manager will only need to handle some basic accounting data; the system will automatically handle the rest. Through the help of this system, the community management staff can be easily accomplished and put more manpower on some needed aspect to improve the living quality.

This paper presents a GA-based optimal algorithm for a resource leveling model that levels the resources of a set of non-critical activities experiencing conflicts simultaneously up to an assumed level of resource rates specified by the planner using a pair-wise comparison of the activities being considered. A parameter called the future float is adopted and applied as an indicator for assigning leveling priorities to the sets of activities experiencing conflicts. A construction project network example was worked out to demonstrate the performance of the proposed method. The histogram obtained using the algorithm proposed was shown to be the same as, or very close to that produced by the existing resource leveling method based on the least total float rule, which shifts non-critical activities individually.

Recently, Knowledge Management (KM) has been applied to construction industry. Surprising, there is few studies that address the most fundamental problem in KM: people may prefer not to share their knowledge so as to preserve their intellectual or unique values in the organization. Without the premise of each individual's willingness to share knowledge, there will be no valuable input for the IT system and, thus, no knowledge management at all. This paper aims to model the behavioral dynamics of knowledge sharing and to design an incentive system that may facilitate knowledge sharing for construction companies. In this paper, a game-theory based model will be developed, and the framework for designing an incentive system will be proposed according to the model.

This paper presents the core technology of Construction Business Process Automation to model and automate construction business processes. Business Process Reengineering (BPR) and Automation (BPA) have been recognized as one of the important aspects in construction business management. However, BPR requires a lot of efforts to identify, document, implement, execute, maintain, and keep track thousands of business processes to deliver a project. Moreover, existing BPA technologies used in existing Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems do not lend themselves to effective scalability for construction business process management. Application of Workflow and Object Technologies would be quite effective in implementing a scalable enterprise application for construction community. This paper present the technologies and methodologies for automating construction business processes by addressing how: 1) Automated construction management tasks are developed as software components, 2) The process modeling is facilitated by dragging-and dropping task components in a network, 3) Raising business requests and instantiating corresponding process instances are delivered, and 4) Business process instances are executed by using workflow technology based on real-time simulation engine. This paper presents how the construction business process automation is achieved by using equipment reservation and cancellation processes simplified intentionally.

This paper presents an approach to quantifying the costs and benefits of integrating ERP systems with project management systems, including potential time and cost savings. To properly identify the costs and the benefits, the paper shows the relevant construction information flows and the desired milestones in the integration process. The proposed benefit analysis model should allow construction firms considering the integration of their ERP systems with legacy systems or commercial project management software make informed decisions in regard to the existing alternatives in the early stages of decision making.

The case of laboratory-acquired SARS Corona virus infection in Taiwan has revealed a number of weaknesses in management, construction, and oversight of laboratories. Also, with the increased demands for bio-safety laboratory, there is an urgent need to develop a uniform and comprehensive guidance for architects and construction engineers in the preparation of design and construction. This research investigates the key elements for designers, engineers, and potential owners in biosafety laboratory design and construction. It defines key elements and determines major relationships and standards that should be adhered to when developing site layout. In addition to layout planning and design guidance of biosafety laboratory, this research also interviews the perspective of architects and survey the state-of-the-art technology in Taiwan. It represents the portraits by site investigation. The purpose of the research is to provide guideline of design and avoid potential future conflict to ensure the critical continuity of functions.

Concrete slab bridge is one of most common structures employed for local road constructions because of its simplicity in design and construction. Computer applications were developed to automate the repetitive computation for these simple structures. However, in most cases, managing the electronic documents produced by these applications has not been incorporated with design automation application yet. Resultant documents are often managed by individuals and disappear as time goes by due to lack of systemic management. This paper introduces a Web-based application developed to not only speed up the design process but also enhance the collection and manipulation of resultant electronic documents.

The cable dome, proposed by Geiger after developing Fuller's idea of tensegrity and improved by Levy, is a new type of large span space structures. In this paper, formulations of the initial forces distribution in members of two main systems of cable dome, which are Geiger dome and Levy dome, are presented. By analyzing the static performance of Levy dome and the variation of internal forces in members of the structure, four groups of design parameters in cable dome structure are represented in terms of: (1) the numbers of rings and the spaces between the rings; (2) the slopes of ridge cables; (3) the lengths of struts; (4) the initial force in one member of the structure.

This paper deals with new realizations of research, scientific development, managerial and economic optimizations for prefabricated building systems. In the literature, all scientific fields are worked out based on the efficiencies, costs, benefits, choice of execution design, technical demands, aesthetical point of view, as well as the total economics. In the present example of a school-building for communities in the third world, the following criteria have been regarded: The optimal superstructure of prefabricated concrete building systems; the particularity of countries of the Third World (e.g. the climate, the political and the economic conditions); the time for construction and necessary innovative developments for an economically optimized superstructure. Added to this are alternative construction-methods and costs for a simple but variable system which can be adapted to changing functions, where variability should be the main point. For example, a school building that is to be adapted by varying number of rooms to cater for the growing number of pupils.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the public preference to the breakwaters of fishing harbors in Taiwan, so that the results could be applied to the successive study of breakwater landscape improvement. Among the breakwaters' photographs those took on the fishing harbors, this study picked up 4 photos for demonstration and 60 for questionnaire according to their spatial types configured with crest of breakwater, crown wall, and armoring blocks) and other landscape factors. The preference evaluation was conducted by questionnaire to the public, 385 effective questionnaires were taken into analysis. Results reveals: (1) the open, colorful, recreational and water-intimate breakwaters are preferred. (2) The combination types and visual elements (shapes, colors, textures, lines and scales) of breakwaters are also influence the public preference.

Recent increases in construction costs on Korean public works projects, largely due to change orders caused by poorly elaborated design, become a motivation of applying VE process in Korean construction industry. The Seoul Toll Plaza project, recently value analyzed by four VE teams, demonstrates how value management helps save time, money and increase functional performance. The objective of this project is to upgrade and expand existing pay and ticket booths system on "Kyungboo Express Highway", the main artery for the Korean peninsula linking Seoul to Pusan. The value management study generated several innovate alternatives capable of saving up to 50% of project cost from the baseline project plan.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome -SARS virus spreaded rapidly in Asia in 2003 caused a lethal and serious epidemic. Establishing special isolation wards of high-level epidemic prevention has becomes one of the most important tasks of epidemic prevention. Taking the biosafety level of US CDC biology laboratory as an example, the laboratory of the highest level, BL4 and that of the second high level, BL3 are only allowed to handle and research this kind of highly dangerous viruses safely, to ensure the safety of researchers and the surrounding environment.This research aims to study the functions and the design requirements of "special isolation wards", which is equivalent to the high-level biotechnology laboratory, and have an integrated discussion about the design and construction techniques of this kind of wards, expecting to provide a reference for constructing special isolation wards and maintaining operation safely in Taiwan.

The paper presents a multifactor modelling of construction processes. There are three phases of the proposed extended procedure. Tools for these phases from chronometric test to verifying of the assumed model are indicated. Apart from the classic verification activities the method of artificial neural networks has been successfully applied. The paper presents the usage of these tools to model the process of assembly of structural corrugated steel plate structures.

This paper presents incentive application strategies and delay prevention strategies as schematic approaches to improve time performance of highway construction contracts. This research recognizes the importance of improving time performance during highway construction. Strategic solutions of the most core issues on time performance incentive contracting are identified. The suggested incentive application strategies develop criteria for applying time classification to projects, for assigning project time classifications to contractors and designers, and for determining appropriate incentive values in A (cost) + B (time cost) and other performance incentive contracts. The suggested delay prevention strategies develop criteria for determining the appropriate subsurface utility engineering (SUE) level and to develop best practices for avoiding utility relocation delays. A schematic approach for each strategy is developed. This paper also introduces current incentive contracting practices in Florida. The researchers obtained the information from experienced persons in the highway construction industry, including key highway contractors, designers, and Department of Transportation (DOT) and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) personnel. The major focus of this research is to develop strategies and suggest approaches to improve time performance of highway construction contracts. For future study, practical tools to facilitate implementation of the suggested strategies should be developed, so that the criteria, implementation processes, and best practices developed may contribute to the current industry-wide effort to improve time performance.

The planning process for roadway construction involves a large amount of information on design, construction methods, quantities, unit costs, production rates, and site conditions. Therefore, it is very important to acquire, manage, and process the necessary information efficiently to produce a rigorous construction plan. GIS (Geographic Information System) is a very effective tool for integrating and managing various types of information including spatial and non-spatial data required for roadway construction planning. This paper proposes a GIS-based system for improving roadway construction planning with its 'Interactive Space Scheduling' and 'Operation Level Planning' functions. The proposed system can assist construction planners in a unique way by integrating design and construction information and creating modularized design elements for space scheduling in real time. It is expected that the proposed system could improve the efficiency of roadway construction planning.

A new law, the Urban and Living Environment Improvement Act, was established, promulgated, and entered into by the Ministry of Construction and Transportation as of 1st July 2003. This system under this law, which improves currently executed consulting process and upgrade its level, is to execute the legal process and procedures that are necessarily required for housing reconstruction/renewal project.. This system requires to be supplemented with addition of reasonable, logical, and systemized tools of system. Through concurrent application of professional management of renewal business(PMRB), more benefit will be provided to housing renewal associations that are constituted with residences concerned for execution of CM project.

For a hydro power plant project, the headrace tunnel having a finished diameter of 3.3m was constructed in volcanic rocks with well-developed vertical joint and high groundwater table. The intake facility was located 20.3 km upstream of the powerhouse and headrace tunnel of 20 km in length and penstock of 440 m in height connected the intake and the powerhouse. The typical caldera lake, Lake Toba set the geology at the site; the caving of the ground caused tension cracks in the vertical direction to be developed and initial stresses at the ground to be released. High groundwater table(the maximum head of 20 bar) in the area of well-connected vertical joints delayed the progress of tunnel excavation severely due to the excessive inflow of groundwater. The excavation of tunnel was made using open-shield type TBM and mucking cars on the rail. High volume of water inflow raised the water level inside tunnel to 70 cm, 17% of tunnel diameter (3.9 m) and hindered the mucking of spoil under water. To improve the productivity, several adjustments such as modification of TBM and mucking cars and increase in the number of submersible pumps were made for the excavation of severe water inflow zone. Since the ground condition encountered during excavation turned out to be much worse, it was decided to adopt PC segment lining instead of RC lining. Besides, depending on the conditions of the water inflow, rock mass condition and internal water pressure, one of the invert PC segment lining with in-situ RC lining, RC lining and steel lining was applied to meet the site specific condition. With the adoption of PC segment lining, modification of TBM and other improvement, the excavation of the tunnel under severe groundwater condition was successfully completed.

Using data gathered from expert opinion of plant and equipment professionals; this paper presents the key variables that may constitute a maintenance proficient plant operator. The Multivariate Discriminant Analysis (MDA) was applied to generate data and was tested for sensitivity analysis. Results showed that the MDA model was able to classify plant operators' proficiency at 94.10 percent accuracy and determined nine (9) key variables of a maintenance proficient plant operator. The key variables included: i) number of years of experience as equipment operator (PQ1); ii) eye-hand coordination (PQ9); iii) eye-hand-foot coordination (PQ10); iv) planning skills (TE16); v) pay/wage (MQ1); vi) work satisfaction (MQ4); vii) operator responsibilities as defined by management (MF1); viii) clear management policies (MF4); and ix) management pay scheme (MF5). The classification procedure of nine variables formed the general model with the equation viz: OMP (general) = 0.516PQ1 + 0.309PQ9 + 0.557PQ10 + 0.831TE16 + 0.8MQ1 + 0.0216MQ4 + 0.136MF1 + 0.28MF4 + 0.332MF5 - 4.387

Analytical hierarchy process (AHP) is a potential decision making method in management that can be used in project management as well. Lack of productivity is perhaps the number one problem confronting in the construction industry. There are numerous factors which affect the productivity of a construction project, so it is necessary to find out the critical factors giving birth to productivity. In this paper, construction productivity is taken as example for the demonstration of the AHP application to find out the critical productivity factor in which the Level 1 is taken as selection of critical productivity factor, Level 2 as construction parties and Level 3 as productivity factors group. The outcome of this study is beneficial to the entire constructional professionals for applying the AHP.

There are a lot of reasons to use In-place tests. Construction schedules often require that operations such as form removal, post-tensioning, termination of curing, and removal of reshores be carried out as early as possible. To enable these operations to proceed safely as soon as possible requires the use of reliable in-place tests to estimate the in-place strength. In-place test results are not reliable for engineering judgment. These results should be interpreted and correlated to standard compressive strength, based on the test method. In this paper some of these test procedures and their limitations are discussed. In this study we will go on for Rebound number, Pullout, Ultrasonic pulse velocity, and Cast-in-place cylinder methods which are most useful methods in the Asia.

This paper discusses the role of construction management (CM) profession in claims management. It reviews the attitudes, psychology and practices relevant to CM knowledge. It is the purpose of this paper to highlight CM profession's knowledge in this area as this profession's core competence in contemporary construction.

The Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 1999 (NSW) (the Act) is a unique form of statutory regulation for the building and construction industry, which gives virtually all industry participants a statutory right to, and a means of recovering, payments for work done under a construction contract. The research aim is to examine current trends in adjudication applications and determinations under the Act. The research reveals: (a) that the adjudication process is encouraging parties to resolve disputes as to payment (b) that there is low level of awareness and understanding of the provisions of the Act, particularly amongst subcontractors; (c) that claimants making small claims experience a high rate of success at adjudication; and (d) that the indirect cost of adjudication is becoming problematic.

Evaluation of construction claims history can provide insights to improvement opportunities in a capital project portfolio. This study analyzed construction litigation claims extracted from the U.S. Court of Federal Claims (COFC) history involving the U.S. Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) from 1995-2004. Twenty-four total cases were examined over this period. Both "primary" causes and "root" causes were identified and compared to 666 litigation cases reviewed by the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals (ASBCA). Based on the analysis, strategies for resolving future disputes are recommend using a 'hybrid' process prior to litigation.

Normally, monetary penalties for breach of agreement will be stipulated in the contract. The contractor parties, who fail to fulfill the agreement, are required to pay the other parties a certain amount or proportion of money as a fine. However, it is worth our study - whether or not the scope of monetary penalty implementation and bases for determination of a fine will cover the losses of social and administrative costs incurred by the interruption of the contract. This research is about the best timing for government to cancel the freeway repair work contracts. Under the goal of the maximum social welfare, the limitation of government spending for the social and administrative costs invoked by interruption of contracts will have to be considered to attain the best timing of contracts' suspension or deferment. According to the factors of social and administrative costs, the best time point is calculated to reduce the loss of the aforesaid costs, which can also be used as theoretical basis for the future road-widening construction at home.

In the case that construcion period is delayed because of the force majeure such as a typhoon or a flood, the owners in general should compensate the damages caused by those. But with exception the weather worsening of ordinary level is paid by contractors, while that of exceptional level by the owners. It is critical that it is difficult to distinguish objectively between ordinary and exceptional level weather worsening. Although the term of "ordinary" itself is too abstractive, we can reduce the disputes between owners and contractors by setting the appropriate and objective standard of distinction. For example in the case of rainfall it may be the standard of distinction whether the days of actual rainfall exceed those of average rainfall or not. If the days of actual rainfall don't exceed those of average rainfall contracters should pay the damages because it is distinguished with a ordinary level weather worsening. Besides the standard of distinction in another weather worsening such as severe cold/hot, strong wind etc. which have a effect on delaying the term of works could be settled as a similar model.

The conflict problems encountered in the construction projects led to prolonged delays in implementation, interruptions and sometimes suspension. This paper has described ten fundamental management principles to avoid conflicts in construction field and increase the productivity. They are: i) hire good (not cheap) construction professionals ii) set reasonable time and cost goals iii) recognize contractors and designers are in business to make profit iv) draft a clear contract document v) pick a suitable project delivery system vi) implement a front-end approach vii) accept construction project as a dynamic process viii) need of education and training of professionals ix) accountability and teamwork in construction site, and x) avoid negligence.

Knowledge management (KM) continues to receive mounting interest within the construction industry due to its potential to offer solutions for organisations seeking competitive advantage. This paper presents a KM input-process-output conceptual model comprising unique and well-defined theoretical constructs representing KM practices and their internal and external determinants in the context of construction. The paper also presents the underlying principles used in operationally defining each construct using extant KM literature, and offers a number of testable hypotheses that capture the inter-relationships between the identified constructs.

It has been debating on the performance evaluation of professional construction management (PCM) services since its introduction to Taiwan's construction industry more than a decade ago. Several evaluation systems were proposed by previous researchers. However, there has no comparison study been conducted for the feasibility, effectiveness, and appropriateness of these systems to the performance management (PM) of practical PCM services. This paper is intended for this end to compare the existing PCM performance evaluation systems in Taiwan. A real world design/build (D/B) building project was selected for case study. The result of case study concludes and compares the pro's and con's of the three systems. At the end, it recommends strategies for selecting the most appropriate PCM performance evaluation for PCM services.

The problem of managing digital design data including drawings, specifications and other technical data in building design and construction units is a real challenge, especially when there is a need to structure the design information across building design companies. The main difficulty in this information management is the shortage of unified rules (or standards) on how the digital design data should be gathered, archived, and preserved in the most efficient way for building design and construction units. The most important issue, which addressed in this work, is the standardized reference of all design data definitions.

The governmental attitude toward private investment and financing for infrastructure projects has changed from the initial prohibition to the current encouragement in China, which has been embodied in the legal documents and administrative process. However, the problem of identification, bidding, and approval procedure for privately financed infrastructure projects has been observed in policies and administrative measures promulgated by different or even the same government branches, which is prohibitive factors for smooth project implementation. After analysis of the identification, bidding, and approval process of infrastructure projects, the authors proposed a simplified and alternative procedure and clarified the key points of relevant project documents.

Since the designation of the South Korean Construction industry as an open market industry by the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1994, South Korea's construction firms were exposed to competition from firms of other advanced countries. Increased competition in the industry raised quality of production and lowered the cost of construction projects. Therefore, many big construction projects were planned and constructed with foreign construction partners during the last decade. Also, from those projects the South Korea Construction industry accumulated experience in and knowledge of both project management and construction management perspectives. However, in the process of conducting those big projects, many problems - specifically responsibility and the limit of competence - occurred between foreign construction partners. Hence, this study attempts to improve its role model that is for local and foreign companies to enter into Joint Ventures in the South Korea construction industry.

The AEC (Architecture/Engineering/Construction) industry is facing a competitive world after it entered into the 21^st century. Due to improper planning and scheduling, the construction projects face severe delays in completion. Most of the present day construction organisations operate in multiple project environments where more than one projects are to be managed simultaneously. But the advantages of planning and scheduling as multiple projects have not been utilized by these organisations. Change in multi-project planning and scheduling is inevitable and often frequent, therefore the traditional planning and scheduling approaches are no more feasible in scheduling multiple construction projects. The traditional scheduling tools like CPM and PERT do not offer any help in scheduling in a resource-constrained environment. This necessitated a detailed study to model the environment realistically and to make the allocation of limited resources flexible and efficient. This paper delineates about the proactive model which will help the project managers for scheduling the multiple construction projects.

In a super-highrise residence project, a project manager needs to form the long-term risk management plan which covers the problems from the beginning of project to the time of demolition. The cause and responsibility for a risk are clarified and quantitatively evaluated through the life cycle of a project. Development of the system which supports a risk strategy effectively is needed as a project becomes complex. In this paper, through the life cycle of a specific super-highrise residence project, a risk phenomenon is specified from a viewpoint of each participant, and the mathematical model is formulated choosing the combination of the optimal strategy against a risk quantitatively within a fixed risk strategy budget.

Construction firms attempt to improve project performance by adopting technology. However, the advantages gained from technology utilization are still not clear. Lack of information regarding technology benefits has resulted in industry reluctance to implement new technology. Therefore, there are needs for studies that quantify the impacts of technology utilization on project performance. An industry-wide survey was used to collect project data from 70 capital facility projects on the issue of technology usage and project owner satisfaction parameter. This paper reports on integration/automation technology usage in the Taiwanese construction industry and associated impacts on project owner satisfaction. In addition, integration and automation technology findings are presented by project phase. The analyses indicate that projects with owner satisfaction have, on average, higher levels of technology utilization than projects with owner dissatisfaction for all technology usage metrics analyzed.

For international projects in general and the projects in the Gulf area in Particular, the most common cause of construction disputes and claims is construction delay. This paper will present different surveys to identify the causes of delay, the parties responsible, and how delay can be avoided. This paper will outline how these factors impact damage assessment and entitlement. Furthermore, a case study will be presented to show how the responsibility and damages due to delay are assessed and how entitlements are calculated.

In the construction industry, materials management is one of the most important components in construction engineering life cycle. Materials management optimization is one of the research subjects in the field of construction management. In the materials management system of a construction project, the suitability of selecting procurement planning strategy will influence the result of project completion. This study conducts literature review at first and also refers the related issue in other industry's application. Associated with the characteristics of construction project in civil engineering and the concept of object oriented design applied in the materials management, this research is aimed to establish a construction materials requirement preliminary system.

Among various joint ventures, International Construction Joint Ventures (ICJVs) have emerged as a popular approach worldwide to developing large scale projects through international participation. A model, based on economic analysis and represented by several hypotheses obtained from the analysis, will be developed. Furthermore, we will empirically test the hypotheses/model using Structural Equation Model (SEM). This research is expected to explain why there exist different organizational forms for ICJVs, and to develop a framework for choosing appropriate forms with respect to various characteristics of ICJVs.

Client requirements is a concept with increasing interest in relation to several outcomes of companies, and in particular, in the event of apartment project that takes large share in the domestic construction industry, diverse angle of survey is performed to discover the client requirements and reflect them to the project to improve the quality. For this purpose, it is required to learn the client requirements and apply it in the apartment project, and the QFD (Quality Function Deployment) linked ROQ (Return On Quality) is a technique used in the manufacturing that surveys the client requirements to improve the customer satisfaction, and apply it to the quality improvement program to improve the profitability in this process. In this study, through the application of the ROQ process, the plan to improve the apartment quality management is presented. For this purpose, the consumer interview survey, FGI (focus group interview) survey and the client requirements are analyzed, and thereafter, through the interview with the specialist, the quality improvement program that enables the application to the product development of new apartment product is established. Through this process, the new apartment quality management improvement plan is presented.

This paper aims to consider an overall benefit-duration optimization (OBDO) problem for the sake of maximizing owner's economic benefits, whilst considering influences of schedule compression incurred opportunity income on the profitability of a large-scale construction project. Unlike previous schedule optimization models and techniques that have focused on project duration or cost minimization, with greater weight on contractors' interests, OBDO facilitates owner's economic benefits through overall benefit-duration optimization. In this paper, the objective function of OBDO model is formulated. An example is illustrated to prove the feasibility and practicability of the overall benefit-duration optimization problem. The significance of employing OBDO model and future research work are also described.

As the scale of building construction is larger and more complex and the adaptation of new technology is increasing, the tendency of the risk serious accident cases is increasing now. Especially, the accident rate is below 10% at the building construction workers in Korea but among the total industrial accidents it exceeded by 35%. To prevent a construction accident, it is essential that not only to have a through grasp of the characteristic of safety problem but also to establish of efficient safety counter plan are required. According to the type and situation of building construction, the acquirement of necessary information is useful to prevent the hazard of work and establish the counter plan. Among the safety information it is a thing of especial importance that to estimate the hazard of work types for building construction to prepare the counter plan of safety. This study will analyze all of the1600 accidents of the building construction works from the data of KOSHA(Korea Occupational Safety &Health Agency) which were collected during 11 years(1992~2002) data relating to serious accidents of the building construction works, and suggest the counter plan according to the each work type in building construction works.

A simulation model is proposed to evaluate the effect of correlations between activity durations on the overall project duration. The proposed model incorporates NORTA, a recent developed statistical method, into the simulation process to allow arbitrarily specified marginal distributions for activity durations and any desired correlation structure. The generality is of practical value when systematic data is not available and planners have to rely on arbitrary experts' estimation, which may involve a mixed situation when some activity durations are continuously distributed whereas others are discrete outcomes. The proposed model is validated by showing that the correlation coefficients of the simulation results are close to the originally specified ones. The simulation results are compared to two conventional approaches: PERT and simulation without correlation. The comparisons illustrate that the proposed model can provide important management information, which would otherwise be distorted due to the neglect of the correlations between activity durations.

Time management is one of the critical tasks in project management. Based on the theories of total quality management, this authors presented a project time management method, total time management (TTM), so as to facilitate highway project time management. This paper discussed the four fundamental characteristics of TTM: total factors management, staff management, project life cycle management, and Plan-Do-Check-Action (PDCA) cycle management. Now, most managers use computer software to manage the project. In order to make the theory of TTM more executable, the authors develop a project time management system suitable for TTM. This paper presents this time management system's analysis processes including system requirement, key functions etc..

For linear projects, it has long been known that resource utilization is important in improving work efficiency. However, most existing scheduling techniques cannot satisfy the need for solving such issues. This paper presents an optimization model for solving linear scheduling problems involving resource assignment tasks. The proposed model adopts constraint programming (CP) as the searching algorithm for model formulation, and the proposed model is designed to optimize project total cost. Additionally, the concept of outsourcing resources is introduced here to improve project performance.

Effective cost management requires reliable cost estimates at every stage of project development. The primary purpose of this research is to develop systematic modeling procedures and an automatic computing program for infrastructure estimating in the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). The computing system toggles between project input information and segregated district unit prices for highway work item quantity estimates associated with earthwork and landscape, subgrade treatments and base, surface courses and pavement, structures, miscellaneous construction, and lighting, signing, markings and signals. This quantity-based approach was chosen because of the conventional approach lacking of quantity information until primary design is complete.

There is growing consciousness of the environmental performance of buildings in Hong Kong. The Buildings Department, the Lands Department and the Planning Department of the Hong Kong Government issued the first of a series of joint practice notes [1] to promote the construction of green and innovative buildings. Green features are architectural features used to mitigate migration of noise and various air-borne pollutants and to moderate the transport of heat, air and transmission of daylight from outside to indoor environment in an advantageous way. This joint practice note sets out the incentives to encourage the industry in Hong Kong to incorporate the use of green features in building development. The use of green features in building design not only improves the environmental quality, but also reduces the consumption of non-renewable energy used in active control of indoor environment. Larger window openings in the walls of a building may provide better natural ventilation. However, it also increases the penetration of direct solar radiation into indoor environment. The use of wing wall, one of the green features, is an alternative to create effective natural ventilation. This paper therefore presents a preliminary numerical study of its ventilation performance using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). The numerical results will be compared with the results of the wind tunnel experiments of Givoni.

RFID technology offers the possibility that tools and valuable supplies tagged with RFID devices could be tacked down automatically. Such automated tool tracking has the potential to reduce theft, identify underutilized tools to be relocated, insure that crafts have access to the appropriate tools as needed, and reduce overhead labor cost of managing tools. Although other industries have been busy to enhance their supply chain management using RFID technology, construction professionals may be wondering whether it works reliably in construction jobsites as well. This paper presents a field test conducted to determine the reliability of RFID technology in identifying tools in the field storage box. The test indicated that RFID technology is reliable in inventorying tools in field storage.

This paper focuses on construction cost volatility for the purpose of private sector investment by use of a financial model with key indices of IRR and DSCR (Debt Service Coverage Ratio). A case project, 1,000 MW pumped storage hydropower plant, has shown that its financial impacts by cost volatility of underground works are less measured than interest rates impacts by interest rate of loans. Probabilistic analysis of costs under geotechnical conditions has been made by Indicator Kriging method. And, in the modeling of interest rates, geometric Brownian motion has been applied. Both of these impacts are measured on the same financial model.

4D models help construction planners to develop and evaluate construction plans. However, current analyses using 4D models are mainly visual and limit the quantitative comparison of construction alternatives. This paper explores the usefulness of extracting quantitative information from 4D models to support time-space analyses. We use two 4D models of an industry test case to illustrate how to analyze 4D content quantitatively (i.e., work space areas and distances between concurrent activities). This paper shows how these two types of 4D content can be extracted from 4D models to support 4D-based-analysis and novel presentation of construction planning information. We suggest further research to formalize the content of 4D models to enable comparative quantitative analyses of construction planning alternatives. Formalized 4D content will enable the development of reasoning mechanisms that automate 4D-model-based analyses and provide the information content for informative presentations of construction planning information.

This research investigates the feasibility of Web technology as a means of delivering facility information for better support facility operation and maintenance. Our research proposes a Web-based feedback system as a pragmatic solution to the limitations of current FM (Facility Management) processes. In practice work orders and records are often misplaced resulting in lower efficiency and customer satisfaction. This may be overcome by a system that states information digitally and provides a Web-based interface. The interface could allow customers to report facility problems, trace their work order in progress, view schedules for maintenance and provide feedback for service online. The benefit for a FM department is that it can receive feedback on performance which would improve the quality of service and build a record of practical experiences.

Computer vision technology can be used to interpret the images captured by web cameras installed on construction sites to automatically quantify the results. This information can be used for quality control, productivity measurement and to direct construction. Steel frame construction is particularly well suited for automatic monitoring as all structural members can be viewed from a small number of camera locations, and three-dimensional computer models of steel structures are frequently available in a standard electronic format. A system is being developed that interprets the 3-D model and directs a camera to look for individual members as regular intervals to determine when each is in place and report the results. Results from a simple lab-scale system are presented along with preliminary full-scale development.

Technology transfer (TT) has been defined as the shared responsibility between the source and the destination for ensuring that technology is accepted and at least understood by someone with the knowledge and resources to apply and/or use the technology. The adoption of TT in construction industries is necessary for economic growth to occur in developing countries such as Thailand. This process should provide numerous benefits for the host sector in areas such as increased productivity, enhancement of product quality, cost savings, improvements in market share and entry to new markets. However, there are many factors, which may impact on the TT process and its subsequent outcomes for Thai construction firms and individuals, including, the transfer environment, learning environment, transferor characteristics and transferee characteristics. The performance and interaction of these enablers will influence the degree of value added to the local construction sectors in areas such as economic advancement, knowledge advancement and project performance. This paper presents a conceptual framework for international TT that accommodates the numerous factors believed to impact on the processes effectiveness. Through a Pilot Study, where 27 industry professionals from Thailand were interviewed, the significant factors which impact on the TT process have been identified along with the strength of interrelationship between individual and groups of factors. Future research seeks to target a greater sample of respondents with the view to validate the conceptual model and apply it on a number of large Thai projects where international TT was incorporated into the project agreement.

After participation in the Colombo Plan in 1954, Japan has provided Official Development Assistance (ODA) to 185 countries and areas, and the accumulated amount of Japan's ODA is approximately US$ 221 billion for 50 years. Japan is the second largest ODA donor country in the world now. The country is contributing to the peace and development of the international community. However, the recipient government and the parties concerned are not always satisfied with the Japan's ODA system.. Especially the grant aid system is strongly based on the domestic public work system. This paper analyzes the problems and figures out solutions from the viewpoint of donor and the participant.

Every public agency governing infrastructure has to plan effectively for rehabilitation of existing facilities within the constraints of the capital program. Numerous technical, social, political, financial, and management constraints govern the decision to rehabilitate a facility. However, without a systematic procedure for selecting facilities for rehabilitation, within the prevailing constraints, it is possible that the funds available for rehabilitation might be suboptimized. Therefore, a decision support system that assists the user in selecting facilities for rehabilitation while considering the technical, social, financial, and political and management constraints will be useful in the decision-making process. This paper compares the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) with the Swing Weight method used to prioritize functional criteria for suburban station rehabilitation. This paper also contains a brief discussion about the relevance of the Multi Attribute utility theory in developing a decision model for the problem at hand. The results of this paper provides the user with a decision support system that would prioritize the stations in order of their weights obtained by a systematic evaluation of various criteria and sub-criteria involved in the decision making process

The history of Korea's overseas construction began in 1965, and the cumulative contract amount is about $180 billion over the last 40 years. During the period, Korea's overseas construction industry has played an important role for economic development. However, it seems that the industry is in a sea of trouble. Overseas construction orders have declined due to various reasons such as companies losing confidence, limited financing, lack of competitiveness, and so on. This paper addresses the brief history of Korea's overseas construction industry and the problems that the industry is facing. Then it suggests a few measures for the improvement of the industry.

Given the intense competition and slowdown in domestic demands, there is greater pressure on Singapore contractors to seek overseas markets for revenue and growth. This impetus, coupled with emerging economic reforms in the regional developing countries, has invariably created numerous opportunities for Singapore contractors. However, mixed results were reported on their overseas performance so far. Consequently, this paper aims to formulate a framework that would assist Singapore contractors to successfully export their services into developing countries. The proposed framework comprises ten critical success factors (CSFs), which are identified from in-depth interviews with eight Singapore contractors. These ten success factors are subsequently classified under three different stages, namely initial, entry and operational stages. Preliminary results show that Singapore contractors are most focused on the entry stage, with the highest number of CSFs.

This paper represents a partial outcome of a doctoral research undertaken at the University of Tokyo, Japan. The doctoral research looked on the phenomenology of innovation and its implications for the construction industry in Japan. This paper focuses on the perception of innovation by major Japanese construction clients and major Japanese construction firms. Among construction researchers innovation is a popular topic and no conference will miss covering the issue. After a period of very critical judgment on the ability of the construction sector to innovate and partially even frustration on the inflexibility of the sector, a much more positive attitude was taken. At present, most construction researchers would agree that the construction sector clearly is very innovative. That stands in contrast with how construction practitioners perceive their own sector. This paper presents the results of and empirical research in how construction clients and contractors in Japan perceive the issue of innovation. In fact the perceptions differ largely and give interesting insights on particularities of the Japanese construction sector and on the mismatch of clients and contractors perceptions.

Scheduling repetitive projects under limitations on the amounts of available resources (labor and equipment) has been an active subject because of its practical relevance. Traditionally, the limitation is specified as a deterministic (fixed) number, such as 1000 labor-hours. The limitation, however, is often exposed to uncertainty and variability, especially when the project is lengthy. This paper presents a stochastic optimization model to treat the situations where the limitations of resources are expressed as probability functions in lieu of deterministic numbers. The proposed model transfers each deterministic resource constraint into a corresponding stochastic one and then solves the problem by the use of a chance-constrained programming technique. The solution is validated by comparison with simulation results to show that it can satisfy the resource constraints with a probability beyond the desired confidence level.

The frequent maintenance required on some asphalt concrete (AC) pavement sections has made reconstruction with Portland Cement Concrete Pavement (PCCP) a feasible alternative. However, many constructability issues need to be addressed in order to realize the full potential of this alternative. Accelerated paving encompasses three classes of activities: methods to accelerate the rate of strength gain, methods to minimize the construction time, and traffic control strategies to minimize user delay. Three major AC intersections with severe rutting problems were reconstructed with PCCP. The entire reconstruction of each intersection, including demolition of the AC pavement and its replacement with PCCP, took place over a period of three days, starting on Thursday evening and opening the intersection to the traffic on Sunday afternoon. This paper discusses the use of PCCP for accelerated reconstruction of major urban intersections with minimal user and traffic disruption, using innovative construction techniques and traffic management optimization principles and demonstrates that concrete pavements can be constructed efficiently and quickly.

This paper collected 132 schools reconstruction projects in central Taiwan, which received the most serious damage from the Chi-Chi Earthquake. Regression analysis was implemented to build the prediction model of the cost and the duration for the collected projects. It is found that the cubic regression models are capable for predicting the cost and the duration of the projects contracted by the central agency of which the contracting awarding approach was based on the most advantageous tendering (MAT) approach. On the other hand, power regression models are capable for predicting the cost and the duration of the projects contracted through the low bid tendering (LBT) approach. It is also found that the performance of the regression prediction model differs in accordance with organizations that contracted the reconstruction projects.

In the highway engineering, the performance, quantity and status of machines available for the project have direct impact on the project time. For instance, the status of machines, such as working or in trouble, have great influence on the activity execution. Therefore, while scheduling the project, the project manager always increases the spare machines or prolong the activity time to avoid delaying the project time when some of the machines are in trouble in construction site. However, how many are the spare machines and how long are the prolonged activity time, which are estimated subjectively by the manager. This subjective estimation has been criticized for systematically overestimating or underestimating quantity of the machines and the activity time. In the paper, we propose and prototype a model to simulate the status of the machines in construction site, and then to evaluate the schedule feasibility considering the performance, quantity and statues of the machines involved.

This study was undertaken to develop a comprehensive scheduling method which applied the core concept(DBR) of TOC to PERT, and to combine Monte Carlo Simulation to revise the uncertainties of activities then to eliminate project duration uncertainty. Most of the project duration overlooks the fact that in spite of minimizing the project duration, the uncertainty of constrained resources still puts the reliability of project duration in jeopardy. For the contractor, however, the most important thing is to comply the project scheduling with the planning to reduce the uncertainty of the project activities, operational interaction and project duration. In order to demonstrate that the model can be used in construction project, the scheduling of a steel-structure project was used as a case study to verify the validity of this model.

Construction Cost Indices are values for measuring fluctuations in direct construction costs which include material costs, labor costs, and equipment costs for construction operations. In Korea, Korea Institute of Construction Technology (KICT) has been assessing and announcing these indices since January, 2004. The main goals of this paper are to look over the calculation process for those indices and then present the trend in construction costs according to the types of facilities with the past construction cost index data. Also, this paper traces the origin of the occurrence of significant changes on those indices through the further analysis of the trend. In addition, this paper shows the practicality of the indices and the way how to put them to practical use. An alternative estimate method using the indices is suggested for compensating the changes of construction costs caused by price fluctuations.

This paper presents the development of Artificial Neural Network models for forecasting the cost and contract duration of school reconstruction projects to assist the planners' decision-making in the early stage of the projects. 132 schools reconstruction projects in central Taiwan, which received the most serious damage from the Chi-Chi Earthquake, were collected. The developed Artificial Neural Network prediction models demonstrate good prediction abilities with average error rates under 10% for school reconstruction projects. The analytical results indicate that the Artificial Neural Network model with back-propagation learning is a feasible method to produce accurate prediction results to assist planners' decision-making process.

Scheduling is one of the main functions in construction project to determine the sequence of activities necessary to complete a project. The scheduling techniques provide important information crucial to a project's success. Highway construction project the paving activity can be considered a linear activity. Linear scheduling technique may be better suited for linear projects than other scheduling techniques. A new type of scheduling in linear project is calling Linear Scheduling Model (LSM). The Project monitoring and controlling is very ease to identify that all the stage of linear project and have more advantages.

Formative assessment of student progress and attitudes is important to our continuous improvement process, but collecting and compiling the data is burdensome without access to computer tools. This research is to set up a mobile computer based lab that will enable faculty who teach in rooms without computers to use testing and survey tools. The technologies necessary to develop such system including wireless communication, World Wide Web (WWW), database, and mobile computing are investigated in this research. The real-time based formative assessment of student is proposed. A hardware configuration for real-time assessment is also presented in the research.

The complex and dynamic job nature and the ever-changing working environment of construction projects inevitably present uncertainties to construction operations. Identification, evaluation and control of uncertainties constitute main elements of risk management and critical tasks of project management in construction. This paper is focused on application of a simplified discrete-event simulation approach in management of schedule-overrun risks, each being the combination of the occurrence probability of an uncertain interruptive factor and its potential consequence in terms of time delay. A case study observed from a concreting operation in Hong Kong is converted into a simulation model and analyzed with an in-house-developed simulation package for demonstrating how the proposed approach can be implemented to manage multiple schedule-overrun risks on construction projects.

This paper presents the results of a statistical analysis using historical data of cost contingency. As a result, a model that predicts and estimates an accurate cost contingency value using the least squares estimation method was developed. Data such as original contract amounts, estimated contingency amounts set by maximum funding limits, and actual contingency amounts, were collected and used for model development. The more effective prediction model was selected from the two developed models based on its prediction capability. The model would help guide project managers making financial decisions when the determination of the cost contingency amounts for multiple projects is necessary.

It is essential for project managers to make schedule adjustment based on their professional experience, in terms of rescheduling action discussed in this paper. This paper discusses the topics of resource-constrained construction rescheduling by modifying the concepts of manufacturing rescheduling. Moreover, the influence factors of construction rescheduling problems are investigated and identified in this paper. According to initial schedule plan and present progress, a new rescheduling mechanism based on Constraint Programming (CP) techniques is developed to reschedule projects with the objective of minimizing total project cost or duration, under three rescheduling policies. Through case study, the behavior of three different rescheduling policies is analyzed and discussed in this paper.

This paper studies the economic development situation of eastern, central, and western regions in China, and the functions of Chinese universities, which include education, research and contribution to the society. A new Chinese innovation system has been emerging in forms of university-run enterprise. The commitment of Chinese government to further introduction of a market economy has been elaborated with a focus on the relations between university and industry. A new regional development scheme by using of the functions of university is considered as the effective strategy to promote economic development of China in this stage.

In the early 90's, we had serious shortage of construction engineers in Korea. The shortage was acute especially in construction quality control and supervision area, which were gaining social attention due to the road bridge and the department store collapse that took the hundreds of lives in the early 90's in Seoul, Korea. In order to meet the high demand of construction engineers, the engineering license regulations were changed in 1995. Engineers who did not pass the written exam but have equivalent working experience are given engineering license to practice engineering legally. Since year 2000, while the severe engineer-shortage has been resolved, the opposite situation has occurred: there is serious over-supply of construction engineers. Policy makers and engineering practitioners are agreed to bring back the old-fashioned written exam engineer licensing system like before 1995, i.e., no more written exam exemption. However, the engineers who obtained license without taking written exam may not want to go back to old policy which would take their license. It is required to provide appropriate grace period before the new policy takes effect to minimize the impact of the changes. This paper forecasts the supply-demand of construction engineers providing the basis for the most appropriate policy changes.

Delay, cost overrun and inferior quality in public works are common in Nepal and Cambodia. Almost 90 percent of the civil construction engineers working in the industry were one-degree graduates without appropriate training. The civil engineering education had provided elemental engineering knowledge to the graduates however integrated engineering and management knowledge and skill are essential for efficient infrastructure development. ODA in developing countries had been concentrated in hard infrastructure development without improving the quality of higher education. Integrating ODA to engineering education system would help develop qualified technical manpower and appropriate technology domestically, and improve the efficiency in infrastructure development in developing countries.

Construction management requires decision-making skills. Main approaches to training construction management students are: (1) analyzing sample situations involving decision-making; and (2) teaching logical decision-making procedures. The absence of 'pressure' factors in these approaches has significant impacts on the success of the training. The approaches also lack 'dynamic' effects that help create a spontaneous plan for construction projects where unforeseen changes and interruptions may occur. To minimize the adverse effects of the existing approaches, this paper proposes a framework for developing a web-based training system. The application is delivered as a game involving decision-making on the student's part in response to developments at the job-site, and where one student competes against another in an attempt to simulate a real-world scenario.

The purpose of this study is to clarify the reality of labor and capital productivity in the construction industry through an industry-level approach and to analyze the relationship between labor and capital productivity using a Cobb-Douglas production function. According to the research results, the construction industry has shown a very high capital productivity, while labor productivity has kept up a low level during the 1980s and 1990s. The reason was because of the lack of skillful construction workers and the decrease of capital. Meanwhile, the construction productivity has greatly increased since 2000 when there was no change in wages. This was because of a large inflow of low-wage foreign workers while the amount of value added has dramatically increased due to the liberalized sale price of apartment buildings. According to the analysis by the Cobb-Douglas production function, the elasticity coefficient of V/L to K/L in the construction industry had decreased from 1.1663 in the 1^st period(1971-1988) to 0.4465 in the 2^nd period(1989-1997), and to 0.1664 in the 3^rd period(1998-2003). Such a result means that the allocation of labor has gradually increased while the allocation of capital has decreased. Moreover there was a big increase in allocation of labor after 1998 due to the excessive deterioration of capital. In conclusion, in order to raise the construction productivity and to avoid labor-intensive production methods, investment for capital should be more increased. In particular, new machinery and equipment that can actually substitute human labor in construction sites should be more developed and applied to construction sites.

Effective communication flow is a fundamental for the success of any construction projects. The key role of communications among project parties is even more critical in the case of Design-Build (DB) projects. Previous research has shown that these projects have an environment where integration between different project team members and schedule constraints increase channels of communication, and require faster communication flows. This paper summarizes the findings from research analyzing organizational structures and communication flow of the Texas State Highway 130 (SH130) project. Awarded in 2002, the SH130 project, totaling $1.3 billion USD, constitutes the "pilot" application for the DB approach in the state of Texas. A set of observations pertaining to team organization and communication issues in the design-build environment is included.

Since the 1980s, Build-Operate-Transfer and its variations have become a common approach to develop large-scale infrastructure projects. Despite the slight variations in contractual settings, the key issue for all parties concerned is to assess the risks and uncertainties inherent in a project. The risk factors studied and highlighted by past researchers are very diverse. This paper starts with an objective to compare the risk factors in different sectors of infrastructure, and then categorize them into two kinds: general and specific. Following this classification, risk mitigation strategies should be adopted differently at the corporate and project levels. A few short cases have also been used to illustrate the flexible measures or "options" that some project participants have designed to address risks and uncertainties at the two levels.

Intense competition existing in construction market creates an industry that is dominated by the client groups. Numerous studies dealing with private clients' needs and expectations from contractor firms exist in the literature. However in the unique construction industry, in addition to clients, consultants as representatives of clients will almost always have very important roles to play as well. By presenting survey findings of 50 consultant firms, this study provides insights into consultants' general needs and expectations from contracting organizations on behalf of their clients by using the data from Northern Cyprus private building construction market.

Partnering has taken root all over the world as a remedy for the adversarial relation between parties concerned with construction projects. It is deemed to be derived from Keiretsu in Japan where parties related cooperate with one another as a team gaining reputations for completing projects on schedule and budget while maintaining high standard of quality. However, Keiretsu is now being weakened in proportion to the economic recession and there is an important change that needs to happen in the industry. The aims of this study are to find out the essence of Keiretsu by comparing Keiretsu with Partnering and to look for the direction of the reform plan.

Today, government is no longer considered the sole provider of public works or services. Public-Private Partnership (PPP) has been recognized as an important approach to solving problems for governments in providing public works and services. However, the joint ownership of public works/services complicates the administration of PPP projects. Particularly, the fact that government may rescue a distressed project and renegotiate with the developer causes serious problems in project procurement and management. This paper aims to study when and how government will rescue a distressed project and what impacts government's rescue behavior has on project procurement and contract management. A game-theory based model for government rescue will be developed. This pilot study, the author hopes, may provide theoretic foundations to practitioners/policy makers for prescribing creative PPP procurement and management policies and for examining the effectiveness of PPP policies.

When we compare CM system with Design Bid Build system, we can see two striking features in CM system. First, CMr participates in construction team along with Owner, Designer and Constructor. The newcomer can change boundaries of function and responsibility. Second, Compatibility through each phase and Objectivity of decision-making become more important, because relation among stakeholders changes from a rectilinear to a network. However, it is not clear how the risk of completion is reasonably treated. So we have to think about the relations between Owner and CMr, CMr and Specialist Contractor from a point of trade risk. This paper covers them.

Although the design-build (DB) delivery system has been taking great strides in the world and relevant researches have also been quite abundant, few studies have dealt with its potential impacts on the construction industry as a whole. This research first identified the potential entry barrier factors, which may hinder the market access, based on the theory of industrial economics and characteristics of DB project. Then through a nation-wide questionnaire survey involving 103 construction contractors and engineering consultants, the influences of each factor on company's competitiveness and corporate strategies were scrutinized, and consequently, the evolution of the construction industry was examined. It is found that as opposed to the traditional design-bid-build delivery system, the DB delivery system elevates competitive advantages of large organizations in terms of the financial capability, working experience, human resource, and administrative strength, and among them, the financial strength was concluded to be the most significant force in differentiating corporate strategies and widening the gap of competitiveness between companies. It is inferred if the government extensively adopts DB delivery system, large organizations that already possess the competitive advantage tend to obtain both design and construction abilities, and dominate the DB market. Small and medium sized companies will find little room to maneuver and be forced to become specialty sub-contractors.

Accounts of the development of a successful construction project often stress the importance of team relationship, project environment and senior management commitment. Numbers of studies carried out in the past decades indicate there needs to be a change of culture and attitude in the construction industry. In order for a turn around in the industry, relational contracting approaches have become more popular in recent years. However, not all relational contracting projects were successful. This paper details the fundamental principles of relational contracting. It further reports findings of a research currently taking place in Australia, how effective is relational contracting in practice. The problem addressed in this research is the implementation of relational contracting: • Throughout a range of projects • With a focus on client body staff The context within which the research was undertaken is: • Empowerment, regional development and promotion of a sustainable industry • The participating organisations have experience of partnering and alliancing • Success has been proven on large projects but performance is variable • Need has been identified to examine skill sets needed for successful partnering/alliancing The practical rationale behind this research is that: • Partnering and alliancing require a change of mind set - a culture change • The Client side must change along with contracting side • A fit is required between organisation structure and organisation culture Research Rationale: The rationale behind this project has been to conduct research within participating organisations, analyse, rationalise and generalise results and then move on to produce generic deliverables and "participating organisation specific" deliverables. This paper sets out the work so far, the links between the various elements and a plan for turning the research output into industry deliverables.

There is a need for effective tracking and control of material loading and delivery time especially during the finishing-work phases to eliminate the need for lay-down space on the site. Hence, it is essential to monitor the relevant information regarding material procurement in construction sites, and it is also the key factor for successful site control and the adoption of the Just-in-Time concept for high-rise building construction. The purpose of this study is to test RFID's readability in order to develop a finishing material monitoring system through the application of RFID technology.

This research presents a collaborative supply chain management system for curtain walls using Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) to track the product and information flow among participants in high-rise building construction projects. This resarch developed a process model and a strategy for effective utilization of RFID technology through the curtain wall life-cycle. Then an information management system was developed to support the supply chain management of curtain walls with incorporating RFID into curtain wall products flow throughout the life-cycle. The system has been tested for validation and verification in a real world project.

Traditional Industries were planning the major role for Taiwan's economy. However, we need to face the competition from developing countries. Moving manufacturing department to other low salary countries, such as China, can only temporarily release some limited pressure. The final and complete solutions are to equip on R&D, refine techniques, improve management capabilities, upgrade business, and reform physique. Currently there are some ERP systems on the market; however, they are designed for common purpose and difficult to introduce into industry. The expensive price is another factor to make them be popular. In this research we will Object Oriented, Visual Modeling, ER Model and Windows Environment to develop an Integrated Management System for Sports Requisites Industries (IMSSRI). We will integrate all information from all departments such as development, business, material administration, manufacture, shipping, and financial. When development people construct the all modules, components, cutting molds, materials and accessories, IMSSRI will calculate all needed materials and cost for each product. This cost will be used for quotation to report to our customers. When customers confirm the order, system will transfer all necessary materials into Material Administration System. IMSSRI can generate manufacturing forms and material raw lists for manufacture department. All related information such as stocking, returning goods, material requesting, and material returning can be integrated so we can control all details of the whole enterprise. Through the help of this system, we hope we can save man-power, reduce human mistakes, raise management capabilities for tradition manufacturing industries and create another possibility of eternal operating for Taiwan's Industries.

Treemaps, a space filling visualization technique, displays a massive data set of hierarchical data interactively on a single computer screen by mapping it to a matrix of rectangles. It allows users to visually inspect and manipulate data to find new relationships or discrepancies that are to difficult to find using traditional techniques. This paper applies treemaps to the evaluation of highway project bids, which contain hundreds or thousands of elements arranged in a hierarchical structure. Through a case study, treemaps are shown to be a potentially effective tool for bid evaluation by both contractors and State or Federal highway officials.

A web-based camera (webcam) is expected to enhance construction operation monitoring. However, webcams are often installed outside a building because their mobility is limited by cable wiring, which makes it difficult to monitor construction operations inside the building. If a webcam is integrated with emerging wireless communication technologies, construction professionals may be able to monitor interior construction operations using webcams without getting network cables wired on a congested and dynamic construction job site. However, one may concern that wireless communication may not be fast enough to transport all webcam images seamlessly. This paper presents an investigation as to the observation error of webcam images when a limited amount of images are delivered.

In Korean cases, the occupation of building construction is below 10% of the total industry workers but from a accident rate point of view, it is a risk serious industry and it's hazard is very considerable which accident rate is up to 30% of the total industry workers. The reason of high accident rate of the building construction is its own characteristic, hazard of the work in which is implicated and the shortage of safety counter plan and information, so it is most required to the building construction that educating, training, short and long period approaching to prevent the hazard. The safety information of building construction which is related to safety accident is divided into human and material such as hazard, work situation, cause and counter plan. The existing hazard cases imply all of the information about the work type and work progress of the building construction, so if the research of the every fact is well accomplished, we can obtain the useful information and prevent the hazard of building construction. From this point of view, the emphasis of this study is based on analyzing the cause of hazard first, suggesting the safety information each part of work type and work progress second, and finally making the all existing hazard cases to the Data Base and developing the safety information system.

The Taiwan government agencies have been promoting e-commerce for the construction industry with several initiatives since 2000. The development of standards for the procurement information exchange among government agencies, construction firms, and suppliers for the construction industry is one of the major initiatives and begins to produce tangible results. This paper reviews the effort for developing the information exchange standards and compares the development strategies used in different segments in the supply chain. Lessons learned during the development course are also discussed.

More and more organizations in construction industry adopt knowledge management system (KMS) to facilitate process of creating, acquiring, capturing, sharing, and using knowledge so as to improve the competitiveness, productivity and efficiency of their organization. In spite of the tremendous efforts devoted to KMS, the return of investment on KMS is usually a black box to the investor due to the lack of a systematic framework for performance evaluation of the KMS. This paper aims at fulfilling such need. A conceptual performance evaluation framework is proposed based on Balanced Scorecard (BSC) method. Then a preliminary case study is conducted to assess the applicability of the proposed framework in an A/E consulting firm to evaluate the performance of KMS.

The construction failures can be decreased through continuous improvement of construction process based upon the information of construction failures. Herein, the information of construction failures can be utilized as the key factor for identifying and enhancing various ineffective construction processes that can prevent failures. This research proposes a process model for the continuous improvement of construction processes by using construction failure information. Extensive reviews and analyses of literatures related to construction failures are performed to investigate its definition, type, cause, and lessons learned. This research adapts process modeling methodology and case-based reasoning for the development of the proposed CIMCP(continuous improvement model of construction process), and then suggests its framework that contains modules of case retrieval, case index, and case adaptation.

The evaluation items to assess the consumer needs are thought to be varied depending on their age, education and income. It should be noted that consumer needs are getting too diversified to notice them in time due to the rapid economic, social and cultural development. It is, therefore, considered improper to try to assess the level of consumer satisfaction and correct consumer needs by employing one evaluation method for the vastly diversified consumer types. This research is going to conduct a written questionnaire survey to the apartment dwellers in order to identify like dweller groups according to their age, income and education. Then the scope of personal characteristics of each group will be identified and the importance assessment model will be developed. Then the items on the POE will be weighted according to the assessed importance. Finally a method of developing the customer satisfaction index will be produced to quantify how much the consumers are satisfied with the project.

Breaking from the past convention, most construction firms are lotting out their apartments with their own brand names. They don't have, however, differentiated marketing strategies based on unique brand awareness. Rather, virtual absence of marketing strategies has brought about unfiltered introduction of architectural elements of the competition and excessive advertising efforts. Consequently confusion is at hand for consumers' purchase decision since they are not aware of the differences between the apartments. The purpose of this study is to make consumers have clear brand awareness by presenting appropriate brand strategies based on sound marketing theories for construction firms.

Current brand strategies applied for name brand apartments seem to have no product differentiation but merely function as a convenient instrument for product image change through naming only. Since proliferating brand names don't have much relevance to their brand concepts at present, long-range brand strategies are definitely needed. We'll inquire, first, the success and failure cases in the brand strategies of other industry. Next, through questionnaire survey, we'll look into the brand concepts of construction firms and their customer satisfaction. Finally we'll present the necessity of indigenous brand culture by use of macroscopic contents development.

Proving the effect of lean construction has yet to be done for its staying poor basic building though there has been efforts and wants to introduce the theory and concept of lean construction in practical site. Therefore, we need to specify the methods of productivity improvement and construction process through various adaptations in the site. Also, to apply such improvement methods systematically, we need active participation of owners, contractors and supply chain members in relation to construction industry and are also require appropriate methods to adapt. At first, this study thinks over the techniques of lean construction that has been verified through studies carried before. For second, it selects the technique of lean construction with the practicality in the construction site. For third, it is aimed to make a manual of lean process management by the use of TACT and V.S.M. For fifth, it will show the method of management for repeated activity and develop a guide-line and procedure that applies the concept of work sequence and resource equalization to each phase of process management. At last, it will show methods of reflecting V.S.M. to improve and grasp the waste factor from the step of managing an activity process and develop the form to analyze the waste in construction site by mapping the value flow.

Nowadays the Design-Build Delivery Method in public sector has been remarkably grown up in applying owing to its merits such as shortening construction duration. The Fast-Track is the wide-using method for accelerating schedule at Design-Build projects. But the public agency is in trouble to execute Fast-Track because of the lack of guideline for its process. As a result, in some cases applying Fast-Track methods, cost and construction duration are increased more than cases of non-Fast-Track projects. In this study, through the questionnaire surveys to professionals having actual implementation experiences as a construction manager, owner or general contractor, key success vehicles of Fast-Track are induced.

To compete with large construction companies whose dominance in market share is deepening recently, the needs for improving field production system of mid-size construction companies have increased rapidly. The development of an adequate model that focuses on the organizational size and work process of the mid-size construction companies are needed to increase productivity through the informatization in the construction industry[0]. The authors of this study used case studies on the problems of the mid-size construction companies in procuring work and presented a method to solve such problems so that the managers in head office of those mid-size construction companies can effecitively deal with multiple sites[0].

The present Korean laws related to anti-corruption are not effective in preventing corruptions[1]. In this context, the purpose of this study is to build the proactive anti-corruption operating system that has the function to prevent corruptions from occurring in the contract and procurement sector of Korean public construction projects. The proactive anticorruption operating system consists of four parts ; developing integrity performance manual(IPM), making integrity performance plan(IPP), practicing IPP, and integrity performance evaluation(IPE). By analyzing various kinds of audits and relevant laws and interviewing with government officials and staff in construction companies, the causes and stereotypes of corruptions and the concept, role, and guide of IPM, IPP, and IPE are provided in this paper.

Construction cost index is generally used to estimate the new project cost based on past construction data and to adjust contract cost when the price change of various articles and items of expenditure composing the contract occurs. In Korea, it is mostly used for adjustment of construction contract cost due to fluctuation of prices. However index adjustment rate which is used for adjustment of construction contract cost had some problems in calculating cost index of each expenditure item that could not reflect properly the change of construction cost. For supplementing these problems, the research of developing construction cost index has been executed. Through the precedent research, these problems were partially resolved but still remain. Therefore this research proposes method of making cost index that utilizes representative items of labor, material, and equipment by analyzing bill of quantity of road construction, through analysis and comparison of precedent study. By using this method, it is expected to solve problems which were not reflected in precedent studies.

This paper proposes the CPM bar chart (CBC), a hybrid of the bar chart and the critical path method (CPM). The CBC overcomes shortages of the fence bar chart, while still retaining its advantages. The fence with direction is applied instead of the broken fence, which triggers considerable problems to identify and apply in the fenced bar chart. In addition, the notorious task to find dummy activities is no longer required. Upon the benefits of simplicity in the bar chart and logical work sequence in the CPM network, the CBC provides a relatively easy way to create and understand a schedule, thus improving communication quality between project participants.

The duration of a construction project is not only a key element for taking a new order, but also a strict yardstick to determine certain project successful or not. However, since construction project is basically outdoor job and most of the activities are proceeded out-air, no matter how the schedule plan has been established accurately, actual project proceeds due to the weather condition, beyond anyone's control. In this paper, the functional relationship between work productivity rate and weather elements is suggested by regression analysis. Difference of the relationship and influence of weather due to the seasonal group are also revealed. With these results, by simulating actual weather data and generating weather forecast through historical data, more accurate schedule would be obtained.

ISO 9001 is being used by architectural design and engineering firms in order to strengthen the capability of business activities through the implementation of advanced ISO 9000. However, there have been significant problems in stable settlement of ISO 9000 in design and engineering company, which seem to be caused by lack of proper and comprehension. For the purpose this research was conducted by a cluster analysis of 646 audit reports out of representative 15 companies that have been audited from 1997 to 2003. The analysis showed that the most problems were generated in the areas of "Design and Development", "Production and Service Provision", and "General requirements" of ISO 9000. This research also shows that the corrective actions for disposition of nonconformities should be implemented to achive ISO 9000 standards.

As the importance of building maintenance is being emphasized, studies regarding the efficient building maintenance focus on the evaluation of the maintenance plan, implementation and its cost only while the evaluation of the maintenance performance is nearly ignored. At this point when the importance is placed on the performance design we need to have methods to improve maintenance performance of the buildings in Design Phase. The purpose of this study was to set the design evaluation items to improve the maintenance performance of the buildings. Through the review of the existing literature, we set the concept of the maintenance performance and suggested evaluation items to evaluate the maintenance performance through the analysis of domestic and overseas certification and design guidelines.

This paper presents how to establish the decision support model for the cooperative design in order to improve design coordination and optimize the building system. With this view, the paper presents the method that analyzes decision making participants of each building system on drawings. It also presents the combination evaluation method from the viewpoint of performance, cost and constructability to improve the decision making process in cooperative design.

The orders of Design-Build Delivery System (DBDS) in a large and public construction project have been increasing. Single Source Responsibility (SSR) for design and construction, which contributes to quality improvement of design and construction, has been performed. The DBDS performs SSR for design and construction, but, it has not maximized effect because of the dissatisfied alternative analysis procedures which are based on constructability evaluation and the information system in the design step. In this research, Constructability Evaluation Factors (CEFs) that must be evaluated, investigated, and reflected in the basic design step for design-build projects. The CEF proposed and the business process of each conductor has been systematized. To propose constructability evaluation factors, first classify drawing information by the constructability evaluation sphere. CEFs must be proposed to evaluate factors according to interference among work items. Second, applicable CEFs must be classified by preference ranking and weight. Third, the values of constructability factors in accordance with building elements and work items, need to be calculated. Finally, the CEFs proposal will support rational decision making, design cost reduction, and quality improvement through the values for constructability of building elements and work items.

This report is to do design management for constructability review of high quality exposed concrete, which is used increasingly in recent. To secure systematic management at design phase, we reviewed each definition and work at each design phase, we define high quality exposed concrete, a part of architectural concrete, as "an exposed concrete which has well ordered joint & is in pursuit of smooth surface." We reviewed requirements and influential factor to obtain High quality finishing surface and compared construction process of high quality exposed concrete with that of other finishing method. Management method at each design phase for constructability review to meet additional works and requirements is presented.

This study suggests how to classify owner's standard specifications in organizations such as local governments which place an order for constructing general and various types of facilities. And the principal conclusions of this study can be summarized as follows; first, the Standard Specifications for Seoul Metropolitan Government of for all facilities could be integrated by seven individual works. Second, it is advisable from a viewpoint of long term to draw up integrally owner's standard specifications by trade for facilities, rather than draw up by group of facilities. Third, editing integrated standard specifications for all trades to meet the unified work classification structure should be backed up by high technology, therefore owner's standard specifications by trades would be favorable to our situation.

This paper describes an information model, devised to manage roadway design information and to improve the collaboration among the multidisciplinary design teams. An analysis concerning the workflow, the rules and the functions of current roadway design was conducted. A process model based on the result of the analysis was developed by utilizing IDEF0 methodology. The process model reflects the interdependencies among multidisciplinary design disciplines and is capable of managing communication processes. This paper also discusses the design information hierarchy and the component representation schemes for systematic design information management. It is anticipated that the proposed information model would be able to improve the overall process of design of roadway construction projects by managing design information and helping the participants communicate and share information of the project effectively.

Dispute related to construction projects involving numerous persons is one of the biggest challenges faced by contractors today. It costs a substantial amount of money and time in resolving these kinds of claims. Recently, with the changes in the construction environment and thought of relation with owner, the number of construction claims has increased. But, a majority of these claims do not prevail, and in fact, frequently get dismissed in its entirety. The reasons for such dismissals include the ignorance about the claims, lack of clear and convincing evidence, and so on. But most of reasons are the claims are not managed well on construction process. This paper analyzes the failure causes by relying on past claim failure cases, and then drew works that have connection with failure causes through interview. It also presented importance degree of construction management works.

The Ministry of Construction & Transportation(MOCT) in Korea handles electronically 38 kinds of approval and permit operations under the Construction Civil Affairs Administration System(CCAS) so that applicants may apply for construction permits with ease and concerned public offices may process effectively civil applications. In particular, road occupation permit operations have several problems to be improved. This study is aimed to improve the CCAS in terms of simplification of application receipt, issuance of online permit, auto calculation of road occupation fee, and auto issuance of payment notice.

In many construction projects, progress and efficiency are hampered by poor communication of discipline-specific models. For example, architects use 2D or 3D CAD models and builders use CPM diagrams, Gantt charts, and spreadsheets to show their view of the project. Nowadays, advanced computer visualization tools, 4D CAD or VR, can show these disparate models to understand cross-disciplinary impacts of design and construction decisions. In Korea, several leading companies have tried to apply these tools to their pilot projects from the design phase to the maintenance phase. These companies have expected that more project stakeholders could understand a construction schedule more quickly and completely with 4D visualization than with the traditional construction management tools. However, modeling of the 4D CAD or VR can be quite time-consuming and expensive to generate manually and has therefore limited the spread and use of these models. In order to adopt widely those models in construction industry, the areas that those tools could support to take large benefits in diverse functional areas of construction management need to be analyzed. In this study, researchers analyze the usefulness and limitations of the 4D models and VR in the construction industry, develop the strategy of application priority, and improve the 4D modeling method.

Approximately 25% of military establishments became superannuated to unable perform their function, and it influences on the environment by construction wastes and the waste of national budget, as there is no rational and objective standard even though old facilities have been replaced through modernization project. Therefore, it has been searched to introduce industrial building system that can cope with the new building-construction and transference for the improvement of existing military establishments. However, as there is no economical estimation standard for practical use, industrial building-construction is still remaining at the initial stage, and the study is insufficient too. So. in this study, I would like to develope LCC cost model for rational LCC comparative analysis between industrial construction system (Modular) and existing reinforced concrete structure and cage, and to evaluate economical efficiency through case analysis.

The pre-assembly takes a large portion of the fabrication cost of steel bridges. In order to save the fabrication cost through the improvement of the conventional pre-assembling process, this research investigates a numerical pre-assembly simulation as an alternative to current pre-assembling process. The 3D laser scanning was utilized in site and measuring data for steel box were analyzed. The productivity of pre-assembly simulation system is compared with the conventional pre-assembling system. This paper identifies feasibility on the alternative pre-assembling process and then proposes the scheme of the pre-assembly simulation system development satisfying the current pre-assembly inspection of standards.

Knowledge has been considered one of the important elements that determine our future. Competitive power of an enterprise has also been transformed from labor, capital, and technology-oriented to knowledge-oriented. Current construction environment is experiencing overall decrease of number of construction contracts due to opening of domestic construction market and economic slump, problems on methods of receiving orders/bidding, and change of costumers' attitude, which intensify competition, therefore many companies consider adopting knowledge management to secure their competitive power. However, there are difficulties in adopting knowledge management and increasing the use by establishing management plan, Performance Measurement, and knowledge maintenance system in reality. Therefore, this study is to provide assistance to successful realization of knowledge management by suggesting development plan of knowledge management that enables knowledge management more efficient with certain goals.

At this point of time that it is required to improve educational environment and the function of educational facilities as well as interests on educational facility business is increasing, it is actual situation that unsystematic maintenance of educational facility is not being able to cope with the change caused by introducing the 7^th curriculum. Also, in spite of enormous career in maintenance work, the function is not properly performed because of unsystematic management. In case of educational facility manager, he parallels performing general administrative work and facilities maintenance work not as a maintenance expert but as a member of administration office. So there are difficulties in performing maintenance work, and systematic maintenance work cannot be expected because of lacking maintenance manual. Therefore, in this research, I would like to investigate and analyze the status of educational facilities and to elicit the point of issue as a basic research to save maintenance expenses and to make pleasant educational environment.

The design phase has a great influence on the success of subsequent phases in the project which can be connected with the success of the overall project. Several studies have focused on the effective design management. However, it is too complicated and difficult to manage the design process for the reason that it has a lot of participants and design information and consists of thousands of decisions by an architect alone. Accordingly, it is the main issue for the success of the project how well the design phase be organized and managed. In recent, even in domestic, the importance of design phase has begun to be referred in the conferences. Lean Construction also has a close look at those issues and makes ready to apply specific management methods, called to Lean Design & Construction. Managers can consider a variety of uncertainties to be under control through making the overall process effectively from the early stage. By establishing the efficient process from the design phase before the construction phase, managers can result in a desirable productivity. The aim of this study is to bring the concept (Lean Design & Construction) in domestic design circumstances and verifies the possibility how to apply the concept to the design phase.

Since Lean Construction has been introduced as a new management approach to improve productivity in the construction industry, much research is in progress to develop lean concepts and principles for better implementation and to get results of the successful adaptation of lean ideas from manufacturing for application in the construction industry. Currently, several construction companies in the USA are starting to implement lean construction with nebulous hopes of obtaining better results from their current projects than from past projects not employing lean construction. There are many difficulties in adopting lean concepts and systems into construction projects and implementing lean construction in real construction sites. Thus, there are demands to share information how other companies implement lean construction, to identify the benefits and barriers of lean implementation in the construction fields, and finally to improve their lean implementation. This study was the first exploratory study to assess lean construction implementation on overall projects. The case studies carried out the examination of the mutual relationships of lean planning systems, organization structure, attitudes of project participants and company strategy which played major influences on successful lean implementation

A shortage of construction field workers has been a serious problem, both in the developed and in the developing countries. As a solution for conquering this problem, these countries import foreign laborers from nearby less-developed countries. While this contributes to lessening the labor deficiency, foreign workers are relatively inefficient in productivity and are often exposed to the cross-cultural risks due to cultural differences, communication difficulties, different work ethics and customs, etc. Despite these facts, construction firms do not well address these issues and are lagged in establishing an appropriate management strategy against it. This paper presents a practical management plan for foreign construction workers through Focus Group Interviews (FGI) and survey investigation. On this basis, this study examines the level of awareness and important managerial aspects of the issue of foreign laborers. Finally, it suggests a cross-cultural and ready-to-use practical human resource management plan for facilitating the foreign worker's productivity.

The dynamic nature of the A/E/C industry, rapidly changing global market environments, and lowest cost competitive bidding make it difficult to survive in global design markets. To understand the global design markets, a case study has been undertaken. The top 150 global design firms represented in the ENR (Engineering News Record) from 1995 to 2003 are classified into three groups for the case study. First group is the firms which advanced in rank from 1995. Second group is the firms which maintained its rank from 1994 until 2003. Third group is the firms which went down in rank from 1995 until 2003. However, finding key factors and changing business strategies of successful top design firms are the fundamental goals in this paper. After examinations of case studies, this paper concludes and suggests that professionalization, M&A strategies, patrons of the government, and academic support are needed to be successful in the global design & engineering industry.

Global construction projects manifest more risks than do other industries. Often, firms doing business in construction markets find these risks intimidating. To secure corresponding profits, many global contractors attempt to forecast the effects of risks and establish risk management strategies. However, one key problem with present-day risk management methods is that they are basically analytical or mathematical-oriented approaches which are not easy to adopt in real business. Based on preliminary investigations and evaluations of current tools, this research elicits more practical algorithms for risk checklist by constructing risk scenarios over the whole period of project execution. For the application of the algorithms, a "SE/RF" (Source-Event/Regular-Floating) checklist is suggested, which sorts out risk sources and their subsequent events, as well as dividing various risk factors into either regular or floating categories. In addition, the "PIS" (Probability-Impact-Significance) method is introduced, in place of traditional "PI" (Probability-Impact) methods, by adding the additional criterion of "risk significance" to determine the degree of risk exposure in a more realistic way. As a result, we draw the significant finding that the "PIS" method presents a closer evaluation regarding degree of risk exposure as compared to the level of expert judgments than those from traditional methods. Finally, we provide an integrated procedure for international project risk management with all of the research achievements being incorporated.

International construction projects are exposed to various and complicated risk factors stemming from different political, economical, social, and cultural backgrounds, which make contractors entering into international construction to experience severe losses. It implies that overseas markets do not necessarily secure the high return, which is typically expected to in the high risky attempts. Accordingly, contractors need to evaluate various risk factors faced with overseas construction projects that can possibly aggravate the profitability. This paper aims at establishing a valid groundwork for further research on developing the integrated risk management model. For this end, it analyzes the long-term trend of profitability on total of 3,487 projects performed by Korean global contractors in world-wide construction markets during the last four decades. Then, it investigates the possible factors/causes of bad profit that have affected the profitability significantly through the structured surveys of 90 real overseas projects based on the project-specific information and experiences of Korean contractors in overseas markets. Furthermore, it analyzes relative importance of these factors/causes and identifies the important features expected for the risk management of international construction projects. Finally, vital distinctions between success and failure projects and lessons learned to improve profitability are then distilled.

Present PII(Private Infrastructure Investment) in Korea has increased up to 11% compared to the year 2003 and is expected to increase in the future. In spite of its rapid increase, we don't have any definite standard or system which distinctly presents the rate of return for domestic PII yet, and practical and scientific research is not sufficient compared to its necessity and importance. Hence, in this study we suggests methods to estimate the rate of return of PII to promote SOC PII to last successfully and present the proper level of rate of return of PII which is appropriate for domestic situations through diverse analysis. Therefore, to present reasonable rate of return, we have used 5 methods: previous research analysis, case study, financial index analysis, analysis of investor's rate of return, and analysis of rate of return in a real estate market. After comparing and analyzing these methods, at the end, we have presented the appropriate level of rate of return of PII, which can be applied in the domestic market.

Application of radio frequency Identification (RFID) technology in construction industry is not that progressive compared with other industries, because of it's high price experimental research. This research focus on potential application of RFID which eliminate manual data entry and introduce the potential for automated processes to increase project productivity, construction safety, and project cost efficiency. This paper suggest an invoiceless system using RFID technology, Process productivity and efficiency for material management is observed through WebCYCLONE and is compared with other processes.

The Professional Engineers Act (PE Act) of Korea reduces the competitiveness of PE, because of the lack of articles regarding guarantee of business scope and regarding continuous education. In foreign countries, after one passes the PE exam, he/she should register at the concerned government agency; in this way, a practical and systematic continuous professional development (CPD), along with management of work experience of PE, is carried out. In this thesis, the Professional Engineers Acts of different countries have been compared and analyzed in order to consolidate international competitiveness of Korean professional engineers. Also, the author of this thesis presented measures to solve the problems of the Korean PE Act.

It is still difficult to share and utilize the information generated at each phase of a steel box girder production process due to the spatial gap and different level of management information. The physical distance results in the inefficiency of the information transmission, the accidental omission and typos of the relative information, and so on. Various levels of management information make it difficult to embody a new management system. Eventually, these factors incur the loss of cost and schedule and interrupt development of a new management system. This paper analyzes a current process and presents graphical process flow by using IDEF0. Based this analysis, the research for new production process and work breakdown structure (WBS) is conducted. At the end of this paper, the conceptual design of this system is suggested. Through new management system, it is expected that the model proposed in this study will improve the management process in the steel box production, and the improved process will reduce the redundant cost and schedule information, transmission and deposit generated by manual paper.