Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities

Empirical measurement techniques to evaluate industrial facility performance are necessary for comparing facilities and tracking quality improvements. In this paper, a definition for industrial facility quality based on owner satisfaction with 32 plant characteristics is proposed. A quality measurement technique is presented. Owner attitudes toward plant quality are measured in an exploratory study of 17 industrial facilities including power, pulp and paper, chemical manufacturing, water and wastewater treatment, and hardware manufacturing plants. Three sub‐populations within owner organizations are identified: strategic, operations, and project management. Attitude differences between these three groups are identified and interpreted. A quality index is presented that reduces measurement error and enables the comparison of plants on the basis of a single summary statistic. The index is validated based on correlation with a representational measure—the ratio of actual production to planned capacity. The implications of these results for owner organizations as well as engineering and construction contractors are discussed.

Recognition of barriers to constructability is identified as one of 15 significant parameters critical for effective constructability implementation. A barrier to constructability is any significant inhibitor that prevents effective implementation of the constructability program. The steps of this research are to: (1) Identify potential barriers to constructability and assess the relative frequency or severity of these barriers in industry; (2) characterize the prevalent barriers to constructability; and (3) describe any significant differences in barrier frequency across sectors of the industry. Constructability barriers are evident in almost all organizations at both corporate and project levels. Treatment of constructability barriers should involve a three‐phase cycle of identification, mitigation, and review. Initial efforts should focus on determining the presence of constructability barriers, and on determining the significance of those barriers identified. There are several problematic barriers to effective constructability improvement; the severity of these barriers varies widely from company to company, particularly with respect to constructability program ranking, organization type, project type, and annual volume of work.

A slab‐on‐grade must be designed to resist two types of expansive soil movement: the short‐term cyclic heave/shrinkage around the perimeter of the foundation and the long‐term progressive swelling beneath the center of the slab. The purpose of the conventional slab‐on‐grade on expansive soils is to provide deepened perimeter footings that are below the active zone of seasonal swell/ shrinkage and to soak the soil subgrade in order to reduce the long‐term progressive swelling beneath the center of the slab. Two common problems with this foundation are that the perimeter footings are not deep enough to resist the short‐term cyclic heave/shrinkage and the presoaking beneath the slab is not done properly. The purpose of the design of the posttensioned slab‐on‐grade is to build a foundation that is strong and rigid enough to resist the expansive soil forces using the center‐lift and edge‐lift deformation configurations. Three potential problems are that the expansive soil movement is cyclic, the edge moisture variation distance is based solely on climate, and the center‐lift deformation may be underestimated.

Differential movements of foundations on expansive soils have caused damage to thousands of homes in California. Building damages or just out‐of‐level floors have resulted in widespread claims and repair expenses. This paper discusses historical and environmental conditions which have led to these problems in California. It describes the current state‐of‐the‐art in foundation design and construction methods used to minimize movements, characterizes out‐of‐level conditions, and recommends tolerances to assist in evaluating the performance of residential structures. The authors conclude with a summary of considerations and comments on how some of the barriers to upgrading professional engineering practice relative to expansive soils might be overcome.