Journal of Architectural Engineering

Construction is a process governed by complicated contracts and involving complex relationships in several tiers, and there are many risks involved in construction projects. Generally, there are three kinds of construction risks. They relate to construction finance, construction time, and design. The present paper addresses these risks in detail in light of the different contractual relationships existing among the functional entities involved in the design, development, and construction of a project, and identifies the proper steps to be taken in the analysis and management of construction risks. Surprisingly, although there are individual contracts between the owner and the contractor and between the architect/engineer and the owner, there exists virtually no official contractual relationship between the architect/engineer and the contractor. Examination of such relationships, or lack thereof, reveals that responsibility is not equally shared among all entities involved in building design and construction. Moreover, the present paper identifies the various entities involved in risk generation and management, and proposes strategies that can curb such risks at different construction phases.

This paper provides a brief history of networked multimedia technology in the United States. The evolution of the Internet and the World Wide Web is outlined. The use of traditional computer technologies by engineering and architectural practitioners and academics is discussed. Use of some new computer technologies by researchers in both professions, including high-speed networks, animated graphical simulations, augmented and virtual reality, is also presented, along with a discussion of how they are beginning to be used together on the World Wide Web. Opportunities for refining architectural engineering research, scholarship and practice by expanded use of new networked multimedia technologies are presented. The features of a demonstration testbed networked multimedia package, entitled the Farnsworth House Volume are introduced, along with their potential application to some architectural engineering problems. The use of the volume in classes at Columbia University is presented. Advantages and disadvantages of networked multimedia capabilities embedded in the Farnsworth volume are discussed.

Recommendations for the use of collar beams—horizontal timbers connecting opposing rafter pairs in gable-type wood-frame roofs—are often confusing and contradictory. This is due in large part to their peculiar history: four distinct types of collar beam roofs have evolved, each corresponding to a different structural purpose. Those purposes are to support roof rafters at the ridge, thereby preventing thrusts from developing at the eave; to resist the horizontal thrust of the rafters where conventional tie-beams are omitted; to act as compressive braces, increasing the potential span of the rafters; and, finally, to prevent uplift in high winds, by acting as ridge anchors. A fifth, nonstructural purpose can be seen in the use of collars to frame attic ceilings. In light of the many inconsistencies found in their specification, it is suggested that guidelines be developed for the proper use of collar beams in wood-frame construction.

The recently published 1994 National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) provisions include new and substantially improved provisions for the seismic design of nonstructural components, including architectural, mechanical, and electrical components. The provisions are a significant departure from the 1991 NEHRP provisions and other seismic provisions, such as those offered by the 1994 Uniform Building Code (UBC). The design-force provisions are rationally derived and consider actual in-structure acceleration data recorded in recent significant California earthquakes. Also considered in the design-force equations are the dynamic properties of the components, the location of the component within the supporting structure, the safety and operational importance of the component, and the component's anchorage ductility and energy-absorption capability. The resulting force requirements of the new recommendations are compared with the 1991 NEHRP provisions and the 1994 UBC requirements. In addition, explicit design displacement provisions are introduced and discussed.

This paper addresses the topic of the pursuit of quality in the facility program development process. For the most part, the issues encountered in facility program development fall within the province of the owner/client and his internal agents, although external contract professionals may be used to support or conduct many of these functions. Typically the facility program development for the larger owner/client is an ongoing function dealing with multiple projects; however for the smaller owner/client, facility development is likely to be a rather intermittent and somewhat unstructured activity. Consequently this paper is oriented toward the larger owner/client situation, although many of the issues associated with the pursuit of quality generally apply to both the individual project and multiple project setting. This paper first provides an overview of the facility development process and addresses key questions that arise in dealing with this topic. Next various criteria and measures of quality are identified and discussed along with how the criteria selected may affect the outcome sought. Finally some observations are made on future trends that are likely to emerge in the pursuit of quality as well as their impact in the context of the facility development process.