Journal of Construction Engineering and Management

The management of construction has traditionally been the function of the civil engineer. The civil engineer is no longer educated to hit the ground running in an entry level position in the construction industry. To better serve the traditional needs of the industry, two year and four year construction technology programs were developed. The curriculum emphasis has generally been toward the general contractor as the employer. However, the construction industry is undergoing change. Innovative contracting systems such as design‐build and construction management have become increasingly popular. There are new leadership requirements. The potential for future high level positions can be enhanced to meet these requirements by augmenting engineering capabilities with business and construction management theory. This can be done within civil engineering curriculums leading to an advanced degree.

A new branch of optimization, Optimal Control Theory, is used as a computational method to formulate and solve construction production planning problems. An example of the literature, Griffis' application of queueing theory to determine the optimal number of trucks to perform an earthmoving job, is used. It is shown that under the presence of weather varying conditions, optimal production rates may be time varying. A feedback solution is found. The implications of such solution are discussed. A simulation is performed to compare the use of varying and constant production rates.

Construction presents important opportunities for innovation. Current competitive conditions and owner demands for cost effectiveness provide strong incentives. Examining mechanisms for innovation rather than barriers to technical progress is one means to stimulate advance. This paper describes several advantages and disadvantages which the construction industry presents for innovation. The advantages include project organization, necessity and challenge, engineering and construction integration, low capital investment, capability and experience of key personnel, process emphasis, and variation in methods. Major disadvantages for construction include investment reluctance, competitive conditions, institutional framework, seasonal and economic cyclicity, and the role of suppliers. Based on these conditions, a set of hypotheses is developed (project demands, individual initiative, construction input to design, and transfer from other industries) concerning possible mechanisms for innovation in construction. The paper also reviews prior research regarding innovation in construction and manufacturing, develops practical applications of mechanisms for construction innovation, and highlights conclusions regarding opportunities for technological progress in construction.

This paper attempts to identify characteristics which diffirentiate productive industrial construction foremen from less productive industrial construction foremen. The first section, data collection methodology, explains how the data for this paper were gathered. The next section, statistical analysis, briefly describes why certain methods of statistical analysis were performed on the data. The following section, data analysis methodology, explains both how the data were grouped for analysis and how highly productive foremen were identified. The fourth section, criteria for identifying differentiating items among foremen, is appropriately titled. The results of the research project are then presented, followed by a conclusions section which summarizes the findings of the study.

Asbestos has been a very useful construction material, and because of this has had widespread use. However, it can be harmful if not handled correctly or removed in a safe manner. The health hazards associated with asbestos exposure have been known since the early 1900s, however, it has only been within the past 10 yrs that serious consideration has been given to the removal of asbestos from buildings. Asbestos removal has been fraught with numerous problems. Some of these include the high cost of removal, changing and nonspecific regulations, various agencies claiming jurisdiction over the substance, lack of information about the seriousness of asbestos‐related diseases, and insurance‐liability considerations. This paper outlines some of the problems associated with asbestos removal and provides recommendations to ameliorate the situation.

The critical path method has been increasingly used as an administrative and legal tool rather than as a planning instrument. The writer claims that this evolution has made its planning function of little use to the contractor, using the contract clause of the Federal Government regarding the method of determining allowable contract delay as an illustration. It is asserted that this clause greatly increases the contractors' responsibilities for planning, at the expense of efficient construction management.

Determining the load distribution during construction is one of the critical factors in assessing the structural safety during the construction of reinforced concrete structures. A simplified method was developed in 1963 for determining the construction loads imposed on slabs and formwork. Use of the simplified method assumes that the rigidity of the shores are infinite, and that the relative flexural stiffnesses of floors are all equal. However, it has been found that the results given by the simplified method generally underestimate the actual loads. The first part of this paper discusses a refined method capable of dealing with shore‐slab interaction in framed structures without the assumptions just mentioned. Secondly, a comparative study of the predicted response for framed structures using the two methods is presented. Finally, the refined method is used to explore the influence of the sudden loss of selected shores.

Current research into learning curve models of construction productivity is presented. Five mathematical models are identified and each of these are used to model unit rates for 65 sets of data. The correlation between predicted and actual unit rates is determined, and on this basis, it is concluded that the best predictor is a cubic model. The often cited straight‐line model is only marginally adequate. The validity of the straight‐line model is further undermined by showing that the learning rate is not a constant value. Time data for erecting and setting 466 precast concrete floor planks is used to support the conclusion that the straight‐line model is not a reliable model for predicting future performance.

To the traditional elements of structure, expanded views of organization add means of coordination, location of decision‐making, and requirements for positions. This paper describes these expanded views of organization, illustrates significant diversity in organization structure with data from eight industrial projects, and develops a method for practical application of expanded views in the systematic design of project organization structures. The conclusions highlight the benefits of designing an organization rather than letting it evolve.

The basic issues related to profit measures of a construction project for the contractor are presented. Specifically, the problem of measuring gross operating profit and financing costs under fluctuating economic environments which has been heretofore inadequately treated in the literature of construction management is addressed. A framework for analyzing financing costs under different financial mechanisms, including the effects of overdraft and other borrowing arrangements, is presented. The general procedure is also applicable to the analysis of the effects of inflation and of work stoppages on profit. Finally, the cost of a project to the owner and the relationship between uncertainty and contract price from the views of both the owner and the contractor are considered.

In some of the snow‐bound, glaciated regions of the high mountains, roads may have to pass over ice. In most cases, the road alinement is selected to avoid large stretches of ice; smaller ice bodies are either not permanent (forming only in winter), or can be easily destroyed, as well as the road formation constructed over them. The bridge described in this paper is of a semi‐permanent nature and is founded upon a perennial ice body in a very cold and glaciated mountainous region of Northern India, at an altitude of 5,580 m (18,307 ft) above sea level. This is a unique motorable bridge which has the triple distinction of being the world's highest, of being semi‐permanent, and of being founded upon a permanent ice body. Described here are the sequence of events which led to the construction of this bridge and details of the construction.

The construction industry is increasingly involved with international projects requiring the services of nonskilled and skilled workers throughout the world. Data concerning the productivity of these workers, therefore, is a critical need for the industry. The purpose of this article is to present national labor productivity factors for 47 various countries in Central and South America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. In addition, specific variables affecting national and international productivity are reviewed.