Journal of Construction Engineering and Management

Saudi Arabia has experienced a construction boom of unprecedented volume during the past decade, attracting construction professionals from all over the world. Construction industry was the greatest recipient of the government spending during both the First (1970–1975) and Second (1975–1980) National Development Plans. It has received 49.6% and 32% of total government expenditures during the two plans, respectively. Construction projects worth over U.S. S130 billion will be executed in the country between 1980 and 1985. Construction industry in Saudi Arabia employs 15% of the total labor force and uses 14% of the total energy consumption in the country. It contributes about 20% to the total non‐oil gross domestic product. The purpose of this paper is to describe the status and size of construction activities in Saudi Arabia. Construction facts and figures are cited, and a few examples are discussed in more details in order to help the reader visualize, evaluate and understand the size, diversity and type of the construction boom in Saudi Arabia. The future trends in the construction industry are discussed, and a few recommendations are included as well.

Construction craft jurisdiction, normally exercised by unions, includes both territorial and technological claims to certain categories of work. Jurisdiction is important to unions in maintaining membership, negotiating wages and benefits, defining apprenticeship programs, and establishing work rules. This paper reports on a research project that had three main objectives: (1) Collect and analyze statistics on the incidence of jurisdictional disputes; (2) evaluate existing jurisdictional dispute settlement mechanisms; and (3) survey contractors and owners to determine the impact of craft jurisdictional practices (not only disputes) on costs and schedules. The paper concludes that there is inadequate statistical information at present to support informed decision‐making on jurisdictional problems. Most dispute settlement mechanisms are antiquated and ineffective, but there are good plans in some local areas. The survey revealed that there are serious cost and schedule impacts on construction projects from observing craft jurisdictional practices.

This paper involves the development of a mathematical prescriptive model to establish the optimal location of a crane within a construction site. The objective function of the model is the minimization of the total transportation cost between the crane and construction supportive facilities that are serviced by the crane. The technique developed considers radial and angular movement of construction materials. A simple graphical procedure is developed to facilitate the use of the model.

Mathematical models are available for determination of the economic service life of earthmoving and transportation equipment. Regular equipment for buildng construction, such as tower cranes, hoists, concrete production plants, stationary concrete pumps, etc., differ from the former in several regards, mainly in that they are operating in conjunction with labor crews and their production rate is dictated by that of the latter. These differences, and the consequent modeling modifications called for, are discussed. The analysis emphasizes the general aspects of the findings and of certain elements of the proposed model.

Many practitioners believe that how one organizes to support a major construction project will have a significant impact on the successful completion of the project. This paper provides a primer on authority structures. The basic corporate organizational forms are described and construction examples are given. The basic authority structures for project management are also described. These forms are the functional, pure project, and matrix. For each form, the advantages and disadvantages as they relate to the project manager's ability to support the project are cited. Nine factors that influence the choice of authority structure are discussed. The role of the project manager is described. His effectiveness as a manager is related to the organizational form, hierarchy within the organization, authority gap, management style, and the ability to resolve conflict. Six principles for developing a project organization and selecting a project manager are given.

In the process of decision making for design and execution of highway construction projects, long‐range cost forecasting is one of the most significant and complicated problems. This paper describes the development of a model that enables the user to make long‐range cost projections, taking into consideration general characteristics of the highway construction industry, as well as pertinent local conditions. The model presented uses conventional statistical methods to represent the main categories of typical jobs in the highway construction industry. From these categories, a composite model is created by assigning different weights to the input elements costs and then choosing a series of indicators to predict price trends for each separate element of the composite model. Use of this model reveals that bid volume in a certain area is a factor that has significant influence upon cost forecasts. This paper is accompanied by a case study based on actual data from highway construction projects performed for the Florida Department of Transportation in the years 1968–1981.

The findings of a study designed to investigate the benefits and costs of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) regulations in the construction industry are presented. The data indicate that large contractors have less difficulty than smaller organizations in meeting EEO requirements. In addition, it is shown that the regulations both benefit and increase the number of minority construction workers. According to the study, however, EEO procedures have not increased the number of qualified minority craftsmen. The data also indicate that EEO regulations have increased the cost of the construction projects. The amount spent on both record keeping and low productive personnel, although significant, is not substantial. For example, the unweighted values, in terms of construction dollar volume, range from 1.05% for the Engineering News Record (ENR) 400 organizations to 2.31% for the Indiana Constructors. The weighted values range from 0.48% for the ENR 400 contractors to 1.55% for the Indiana Constructors. The great majority of firms surveyed indicated that EEO rules and regulations should be modified. Better recruiting efforts and comprehensive union and contractor programs to train competent workers appear to be a necessity.

It appears that in construction projects extending through winter with freezing temperatures, the cost of temporary heating is not always equitably resolved between the parties in a contract. Although existing guidelines have been initiated since 1964 by the construction industry, the bid allowances in calendar days and cost perdiem of heating, as suggested, have not been implemented. The three case studies described with varying structures and heating systems, show how heating costs are affected by changes beyond the General Contractor's control. These costs can be substantial; however, they can be minimized if owner, designer, contractor and mechanical subcontractor can cooperate.

Four of the construction failures the writer has investigated are reviewed. Two failures involved light framed timber trusses, one failure involved precast tees, and one involved overloaded steel floor joists. Each collapse centered around a failure to recognize the weakness of a partly completed structure. Human failure was the heart of the problem. The writer suggests greater attention to details by those responsible for construction procedures.