Technology development has provided fundamental benefits of speed, precision, and convenience to common business strategies; providing not only a means for functional integration, but also an opportunity to enhance competitive capability of a business firm. Implementing IT Business Strategy in the Construction Industry brings together topics on understanding business strategy and competitive advantage, as well as essential benefits of concepts and technologies for improving efficiency of the construction industry. This reference source is directed toward researchers, policy-makers, practitioners, undergraduate, and postgraduate students, in order to gain insights into the complex workings of the traditional construction industry and the concepts and tools used to facilitate a strategically IT enabled industry.

Containing papers presented at the 4th International Conference on Building Information Modelling (BIM) in Design, Construction and Operations, this volume brings together the research of experts from industry, practice and academia. It describes innovative solutions and predictions for future trends across key BIM-related topics. The modern construction industry and built environment disciplines have been transformed through the development of new and innovative BIM tools and techniques. These have fundamentally altered the manner in which construction teams operate; the processes through which designs are evolved; and the relationships between conceptual, detail, construction and life cycle stages. BIM is essentially value-creating collaboration throughout the entire life-cycle of an asset, underpinned by the data attached to them. BIM has far and reaching consequences on both building procurement and infrastructure. This recent emergence constitutes one of the most exciting developments in the field of the Built Environment. These advances have offered project teams multi-sensory collaborative tools and opportunities for new communication structures. The included papers cover such topics as: BIM and sustainability; Advanced BIM platforms; BIM and automation in construction; BIM and cultural heritage; Digital twin and artificial intelligence for buildings and infrastructure.

Throughout the world, there is an increasing demand on diminishing natural resources in the industrial, transport, commercial, and residential sectors. Of these, the residential sector uses the most energy on such needs as lighting, water heating, air conditioning, space heating, and refrigeration. This sector alone consumes one-third of the total primary energy resources available. By using green building and smart automation techniques, this demand for energy resources can be lowered. Green Building Management and Smart Automation is an essential scholarly publication that provides an in-depth analysis of design technologies for green building and highlights the smart automation technologies that help in energy conservation, along with various performance metrics that are necessary to facilitate a building to be known as a "Green Smart Building." Featuring a range of topics such as environmental quality, energy management, and big data analytics, this book is ideal for researchers, engineers, policymakers, government officials, architects, and students.

Numerical calculations based on the finite element design method have become a standard tool for the design of many structures. In this book, the author highlights that complex numerical calculations should not be used to compensate for any lack of practical knowledge of the behaviour of a structure. This new edition up to date with the increasingly complex finite element models and nonlinear material analysis being used in the field. The book focuses on and references Eurocode 2 throughout.

Wood Coatings addresses the factors responsible for the performance of wood coatings in both domestic and industrial situations. The term 'wood coatings' covers a broad range of products including stains, varnishes, paints and supporting ancillary products that may be used indoors or outdoors.
Techniques for coating wood go back many centuries but in recent decades there has been a move towards more environmentally-friendly materials, for example, the use of water-borne rather than solvent-borne chemicals.
A major objective of Wood Coatings is to explain the underlying factors that influence selection, application and general operational issues. Basic information on the chemistry and technology of coatings is included for the benefit of students and laboratory technicians. Additionally, the book includes individual chapters of interest to architects, specifiers, and industrial users.
* Offers up-to-date guidance on current availability and usage of wood coatings
* Provides the reader with a basic understanding of both coating and substrate interactions
* Covers both architectural (trade and DIY) and industrial sectors

In its 8th edition the SAFE conference continues to publish important research contributing to the development of the field. The papers included in this volume are the work of engineers, scientists, field researchers, managers and other specialists involved in one or more of the theoretical and practical aspects of safety and security. Safety and Security Engineering, due to its special nature, is an interdisciplinary area of research and application that brings together in a systematic way, many disciplines of engineering, from the traditional to the most technologically advanced. This volume covers topics such as crisis management, security engineering, natural and man-made disasters and emergencies, risk management, and control, protection and mitigation issues. Specific themes include: Risk analysis, assessment and management; System safety engineering; Incident monitoring; Information and communication security; Disaster management; Emergency response; Critical infrastructure protection; Counter terrorism issues; Human factors; Transportation safety and security; Modelling and experiments; Security surveillance systems; Loss prevention; BIM in Safety and Security.

" High-Security Mechanical Locks " comprehensively surveys and explains the highly technical area of high security locks in a way that is accessible to a wide audience. Well over 100 different locks are presented, organized into 6 basic types. Each chapter introduces the necessary concepts in a historical perspective and further categorizes the locks. This is followed by detailed 'how it works' descriptions with many pictures, diagrams and references. The descriptions are based on actual dissections of the real locks.
The scope is limited to key operated mechanical locks, thus keyless combination locks and digital locks are not covered. The book does not deal with routine locksmithing topics such as installation and servicing of locks. The sensitive area of picking and bypassing of locks is dealt with only at a high level without giving detailed information that would be unacceptable in the wrong hands.
* Comprehensive coverage of over 100 different types of 19th and 20th century key-operated locks, unified in a simple classification scheme
* Detailed operating principles - clear 'how it works' descriptions
* Manipulation resistance rating for each lock on a scale of 1 to 5

This book is quite simply about contract administration using the JCT contracts. The key features of the new and updated edition continue to be its brevity, readability and relevance to everyday practice. It provides a succinct guide written from the point of view of a construction practitioner, rather than a lawyer, to the traditional form of contract with bills of quantities SBC/Q2016, the design and build form DB2016 and the minor works form MWD2016. The book broadly follows the sequence of producing a building from the initial decision to build through to completion. Chapters cover: Procurement and tendering Payments, scheduling, progress and claims Contract termination and insolvency Indemnity and insurance Supply chain problems, defects and subcontracting issues Quality, dealing with disputes and adjudication How to administer contracts for BIM-compliant projects JCT contracts are administered by a variety of professionals including project managers, architects, engineers, quantity surveyors and construction managers. It is individuals in these groups, whether experienced practitioner or student, who will benefit most from this clear, concise and highly relevant book.

How to Read Buildings is a practical introduction to looking at and appreciating architecture. It is a guide to reading the historical and architectural clues that are embedded in every building. Small enough to carry in your pocket and serious enough to provide real answers, this comprehensive guide: - Explores key characteristics of structures dating from every period from the ancient Greeks to the present day. - Gives expert advice on how to identify any building and put it in historical context. - Provides an accessible visual guide, using detailed engravings and text, to architectural styles and structural elements.

Encyclopedia of Renewable and Sustainable Materials, Five Volume Set provides a comprehensive overview, covering research and development on all aspects of renewable, recyclable and sustainable materials. The use of renewable and sustainable materials in building construction, the automotive sector, energy, textiles and others can create markets for agricultural products and additional revenue streams for farmers, as well as significantly reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, manufacturing energy requirements, manufacturing costs and waste. This book provides researchers, students and professionals in materials science and engineering with tactics and information as they face increasingly complex challenges around the development, selection and use of construction and manufacturing materials.

With our highly connected and interdependent world, the growing threat of infectious diseases and public health crisis has shed light on the requirement for global efforts to manage and combat highly pathogenic infectious diseases and other public health crisis on an unprecedented level. Such disease threats transcend borders. Reducing global threats posed by infectious disease outbreaks - whether naturally caused or resulting from a deliberate or accidental release - requires efforts that cross the disaster management pillars: mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery. This book addresses the issues of global health security along 4 themes: Emerging Threats; Mitigation, Preparedness, Response and Recovery; Exploring the Technology Landscape for Solutions; Leadership and Partnership. The authors of this volume highlight many of the challenges that confront our global security environment today. These range from politically induced disasters, to food insecurity, to zoonosis and terrorism. More optimistically, the authors also present some advances in technology that can help us combat these threats. Understanding the challenges that confront us and the tools we have to overcome them will allow us to face our future with confidence.