Editor’s Note
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 131, Issue 12
I welcome one new specialty editor and three new assistant specialty editors to our management team. Dr. Young Hoon Kwak, from George Washington University, will be taking over as specialty editor for the Case Studies area and will replace Dr. Stuart Anderson. I appreciate Dr. Anderson’s efforts in proficiently managing the Case Studies area by providing his leadership on the paper reviews and insights into greater definition in this specialty area. Drs. Amr Kandil, Iowa State University, and Michael Garvin, Virginia Tech, will be assisting Dr. Kwak as assistant specialty editors. Moreover, Dr. Mohan Kumaraswamy from the University of Hong Kong will be assisting Dr. Amarjit Singh in the Contracting area. I look forward to working with all of them on the Journal.
This issue contains a variety of technical papers covering several different areas: Contracting (1), Cost and Schedule (1), Construction Materials and Methods (1), Project Planning and Design (2), Information Technologies (2), Labor and Personnel Issues (2), and Robotics and Automation (1).
Contracting
“Improved Measured Mile Analysis Technique”: A current widely accepted way to quantify losses in labor productivity is the “measured mile” approach. As currently practiced, the measured mile relies on subjectively identifying the period of time it references. Ibbs and Liu compare the measured mile and a variant, the baseline method, to a new, proposed statistical clustering method. The new approach is advocated because it determines its reference period by objective criteria, unlike the other two versions’ subjective analysis. A case study is included to show how the three methods work.
Cost and Schedule
“Using Weibull Analysis for Evaluation of Cost and Schedule Performance”: Traditionally, the earned value method is used to control and monitor schedule performance using the Schedule and Cost Performance Indices that compare the budgeted cost of work performed to what was originally scheduled or what is actually expended. Nassar, Gunnarsson, and Hegab present the Weibull Analysis statistical approach to evaluate the schedule performance of construction or design projects. The authors use the analysis with two projects and analyze and compare the results, pointing out the advantages provided by the Weibull method.
Construction Materials and Methods
“AHP-Based Equipment Selection Model for Construction Projects”: Shapira and Goldenberg point out that current models used to select construction equipment fail to compensate for the evaluation of soft factors and the weighting of soft benefits in comparison with costs. The authors present a selection model to provide solutions for these two issues. The model, which has the capacity to handle a great number of different criteria, was implemented in an in-house-developed system that was improved and validated through testing by senior professionals.
Project Planning and Design
“Continuous Value Enhancement Process”: Although the demand for sustainable buildings is an important emerging trend in the building industry, the task of delivering these facilities is more difficult than for traditional projects. Pulaski and Horman introduce a process-based model developed to systematically generate and evaluate project alternatives leading to high-performance solutions that improve project performance and levels of sustainability. The model, developed specifically to address the challenges facing the Pentagon Renovation, is tested to research its ability to support project management decision making in ways that elevate sustainability and project performance.
“Integrated Design/Construction/Operations Analysis for Fast-Track Urban Freeway Reconstruction”: Lee, Harvey, and Thomas summarize preconstruction analysis of the fast-track pavement reconstruction on Interstate 15 in California, which used two one-roadbed continuous closures with around-the-clock operations. The integrated analysis concluded that the one-roadbed continuous closures are the most economical scenario when compared with traditional nighttime or weekend closures from the perspective of schedule, delay, and costs. The preconstruction was subsequently validated by performances monitored during construction.
Information Technology
“Optimal Lighting Arrangements for Nighttime Highway Construction Projects”: El-Rayes and Hyari present a decision support system for optimizing temporary lighting arrangements in nighttime highway construction projects. The system is developed as a multiobjective genetic algorithm that is capable of maximizing average luminance on construction sites, maximizing lighting uniformity in the work zone, minimizing glare to workers and road users, and minimizing lighting costs. The system is designed to consider and satisfy all practical constraints that can be encountered in a lighting design problem.
“Mixed Reality-Based Visualization Interfaces for the AEC Industry”: In order to address foreseeable paradigms due to the future use of varied computing devices and automated sensors for interacting with digitally managed project information, Dunston and Wang propose the development of Mixed Reality-Based Computer Interfaces, particularly augmented reality systems. These systems, useable by architecture, engineering, and construction personnel, address the need for the development of visualization tools to enhance design comprehension and support collaborative work and to develop a technology infrastructure todirectly access digital project plan and site information that may be otherwise difficult to organize.
Labor and Personnel Issues
“Effect of Safety and Environmental Variables on Task Durations in Steel Erection”: Irizarry, Simonsen, and Abraham explore how unsafe working conditions affect worker performance, and research the quantitative impact of unsafe work practices on worker performance. Many workers in the construction industry perceive that the use of safety-enhancing devices adversely affects their performance, and they therefore tend to forgo the use of the safety equipment provided.
“Effect of Foremen on Construction Apprentice”: In order to explore how the attitudes and performance of construction foremen affect their apprentices, Benjamin Uwakweh surveys construction apprentices in a Midwestern city to analyze their perceptions of their foremen. Based on these results, the author identifies seven influential factors in determining a foreman’s effectiveness. These factors can then be used to develop foremen training pro grams, and in particular, how they treat apprentices.
Robotics and Automation
“Development and On-Site Evaluation of an Automated Materials Management and Control Model”: Proper control and management of materials can meaningfully increase productivity by 6% or more. In response, Navon and Berkovich develop a model based on automatic or semiautomatic data collection for materials management and control. The model aims to automatically initiate and manage the ordering of materials and to monitor both the actual flow of materials and the current stock at the construction site. In addition, the model can also perform several other important functions, which greatly enhance its usefulness, such as permitting real-time control-enabling correcting actions to be taken and making available up-to-date information regarding materials flow.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 131 • Issue 12 • December 2005
Pages: 1247 - 1248
Copyright
© 2005 ASCE.
History
Published online: Dec 1, 2005
Published in print: Dec 2005
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