Construction Scheduling, Cost Optimization and Management presents a general mathematical formula for the scheduling of construction projects. Using this formula, repetitive and non-repetitive tasks, work continuity considerations, multiple-crew strategies, and the effects of varying job conditions on the performance of a crew can be modelled. This book presents an entirely new approach to the construction scheduling problem. It provides a practical methodology which will be of great benefit to all those involved in construction scheduling and cost optimization, including construction engineers, highway engineers, transportation engineers, contractors and architects. It will also be useful for researchers, and graduates on courses in construction scheduling and planning.

Concrete technology for a sustainable development in the 21st century focuses on the problems and challenges for the concrete industry today and in the future with particular emphasis on environmental consiousness. Primary topics include: the improvement of concretes service life to ease technical and economical problems and the waste of natural resources; environmentally friendly concrete production including new production methods and recycling materials; and actually using concrete to solve environmental problems, for example through the containment of hazardous waste. The book is the result of the international workshop held in Lofoton, Norway. With very select contributions from the most distinguished international professional experts, this book provides a basic framework and guidelines for national and international bodies.

Much has been written about Building Information Modelling (BIM) driving collaboration and innovation, but how will future quality managers and engineers develop digital capabilities in augmented and video realities, with business intelligence platforms, robots, new materials, artificial intelligence, blockchains, drones, laser scanning, data trusts, 3D printing and many other types of technological advances in construction? These emerging technologies are potential game changers that require new skills and processes. Digital Quality Management in Construction is the first 'how to' book on harnessing novel disruptive technology in construction quality management. The book takes a tour of the new technologies and relates them to the management of quality, but also sets out a road map to build on proven lean construction techniques and embed technologically based processes to raise quality professionals' digital capabilities. With the mountain of data being generated, quality managers need to unlock its value to drive the quality of construction in the twenty-first century, and this book will help them do that and allow those working in construction Quality Management to survive and thrive, creating higher quality levels and less waste. This book is essential reading for quality managers, project managers and all professionals in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction industry (AEC). Students interested in new and disruptive technologies will also learn a great deal from reading this book, written by a professional quality manager with nearly thirty years' experience in both the public and private sectors.

All the cost data you need to keep your estimating accurate, competitive and profitable. Do you work on jobs between GBP50 and GBP50,000? Then this book is for you. Specially written for contractors and small businesses carrying out small works, Spon's Estimating Cost Guide to Electrical Works provides accurate information on thousands of rates, each broken down to labour, material overheads and profit for residential, retail and light industrial premises. It is the first book to include typical project costs for new installations, stripping out, rewiring and upgrading for flats and houses. In addition, vital information and advice is given on setting up and running a business, employing staff, tax, VAT and CIS4s. For the cost of approximately two hours of your charge-out rate (or less), this book will help you to: produce estimates faster keep your estimates accurate and competitive run your business more effectively save time.

This book, first published in 1987, outlines the motives and methods of overseas operations by international contractors. Drawing on an economic analysis of the industry and on elements of international investment and production theory the book discusses the problems of both individual enterprises and the major nationality groups in the industry

China's emergence as the world's second largest economy has been driven by more than four decades of explosive growth. To support this expansion, China has required massive expansion in its steel production capacity, which is highly correlated to its demand for iron ore imports. The scale and pace of China's iron ore demand shock has pushed the global iron ore market into a historical adjustment. Using economic frameworks, this book brings to bare new data and field observations throughout Asia and Africa to investigate how the rapid growth in China's iron ore demand has affected the organisation and structure of the global iron ore market. The research provides several important contributions to the extant literature including analysis of whether the Big Three Asian market iron ore exporters coordinated to sustain the profits arising from the price boom; estimating the financial impact of the Chinese state's intervention in iron price negotiations; and addressing the concerns arising from the Chinese state's provision of cheap financial support for its companies' iron ore procurement. Offering unique insights into China's economic rise and the structure of the iron ore market, this book will be relevant to students and scholars of resource economics, and the Australian and Chinese economies.

Why Do Contractors Lie? gives real estate investors the necessary knowledge to approach the contracting process from a higher level of expertise. Real estate investor of many years, J. O. A. Maurice, equips investors with the appropriate and repeatable skills to hire the right contractors for the right jobs, at the right price, and for the right duration. In Why Do Contractors Lie?, Maurice lays out the appropriate and effective skills investors need so they don't have to lose their investment due to a lying contractor. Within Why Do Contractors Lie?, real estate investors learn how to: Find a contractor they can trust Spot when contractors start to lie Make sure their project gets completed perfectly on time Avoid end-of-contract arguments or lawsuits Never again lose another investment because of terrible contractors

R&D Investment and Impact in the Global Construction Industry brings together contributions from leading industry researchers in a diverse group of countries to investigate the role of research and development (R&D) in the construction industry. Investment in R&D is a proven factor in economic growth, and helps develop a more productive and innovative industry. This book explores how policy makers and industry leaders can better target future investment; and how industry and researchers can manage their efforts to improve productivity whilst addressing the environmental and social needs of their communities. Case studies present projects where R&D ideas funded by both the private and public sectors have been translated from research into practice or policy, and examine drivers, successes and barriers to the delivery of R&D in industry. Based on research from members of the CIB Task Group 85 (R&D Investment and Impact) and concluding with key insights for maximising the impact of R&D in the future, the book holds valuable lessons for practitioners, policy makers and researchers across the international construction industry.

Procurers and contractors increasingly need practical guidance for the strategic procurement of building services. Clients seeking to improve the delivery performance of the construction industry are increasingly using alternative procurement arrangements. These modern arrangements attempt to deliver a more strategic approach to achieving value for money. Yet little thought is ever given to the strategic importance of building services. No other single aspect of a project will affect project success more than the timely delivery of a fully functioning services installation. Beyond the normal considerations of time, cost and quality, building services have a series of unique requirements not normally considered. For the first time these unique requirements are combined in a single text, providing the reader with the definitive guide to building services procurement. The text reviews each of the major critical success factors and clearly explains the supporting processes that must be enacted to ensure success. It reviews the general nature of procurement systems and construction projects, and then explores the increasing importance that building services play both in the construction process and in determining success for the client. Each significant stage within the procurement process is explored by explaining its importance and showing what decisions need to be made to develop a cohesive strategy. It concludes by giving a step-by-step guide to clearly develop and implement a building services procurement strategy.

This title was first published in 1976

Originally published in 1989 this study examines some new facets in the development of the iron industry in the USA between 1839 and 1921 through the study of an individaul form, namely the Thoms Iron Company, one of the leading merchant furnace companies. It charts the end of the anthracite iron age and the changes which brought about the advent of open-hearth steel and integrated steel works. The book discusses the problems the managers of the firm faced with the appearance of industrial innovations which tended to undermine their firm's very existence and provided a new set of optimal conditions necessary for the survival of the firm. It provides a clear understanding of the destructive forces of industrial innovation and the place of creative entrepreneurship in the survival of the firm.

Highlights nanotechnology applications in smart buildings. Reviews nano-enhanced glass and phase change materials for energy saving and energy storage. Discusses nanomaterials used in air purification applications as well as sustainable pigments. Covers latest developments in polymers, glasses, coatings, paints, and insulating materials.

In 1900, Sheffield was the tenth largest city in the world. Cutlery "made in Sheffield" was used across the globe, and the city built armored plate for the navy in the run-up to the First World War. Today, however, Sheffield's derelict Victorian shop floors and industrial buildings are hidden behind new leisure developments and shopping centers. Based on an extended period of research in two local steel factories, this book combines a lively, descriptive account with a wide-ranging critique of post-industrial capitalism. Its central argument is that recent government attempts to engineer Britain's transition to a post-industrial and classless society have instead created volatile post-industrial spaces marked by informal labor, industrial sweatshops and levels of risk and deprivation that divide citizens along lines of gender, age, and class. The author discovers a link between production and reproduction, and demonstrates the centrality of kinship relations, child and female labor, and intra-household exchanges to the economic process of de-industrialization. Paradoxically, government policies have reinvigorated working-class militancy, spawned local industrial clusters and re-embedded the economy in the spatial and social structure of the neighborhood.

Several international and European institutions have given increasing importance to sustainable approaches to our existing building stock and the role of built heritage in this process. At the same time, preventive and planned conservation of built heritage has been increasingly recognised by researchers given its cost-effectiveness for owner-managers, effective long-term quality protection and environmental enhancement of structures, as well as its potential of activating heritage in the employment sector and empowering of local communities. 'Innovative Built Heritage Models' collects the lectures presented at the international conference on CHANGES (2017 Thematic Week, Leuven, Belgium, 6-8 February 2017). The aim of the conference was to provide an international overview of the existing strategies, processes and operational case studies that support the implementation of a preventive and planned conservation approach in the built heritage sector. The conference twins with the 'CHANGES' project, supported by the Joint Programming Initiative Heritage Plus programme. This publication meets the increasing demand for shared information to support the transition towards a more sustainable conservation process. The volume consists of three main parts: 'The CHANGES paradigm', 'Preventive and planned conservation' and 'Case studies of Change'. The book reflects on CHANGES in a straightforward manner by providing research and case studies that serve as baseline records, guidance and essential literature for researchers and practitioners involved in the built heritage sector.

This guide will help the contractor's staff overcome some of the difficulties encountered on a typical international contract using FIDIC forms.

The majority of FIDIC-based contracts use the Red Book (Conditions of Contract for Construction), so this book concentrates on the use of those particular forms. Supplementary comments are included in Appendix C for the Yellow Book (Plant & Design-Build) recommended for use where the contractor has a design responsibility.
The Contractor is represented on site by the Contractor's Representative who carries the overall responsibility for all the Contractor's on-site activities. In order to provide guidance to the Contractor's Representative and his staff, this book is divided into five sections: A summarized general review of the Red Book from the Contractor's perspective.A review of the activities and duties of the Contractor's Representative in the same clause sequencing as they appear in the Red Book.A summary of these activities and duties but arranged in order of their likely time sequence on site. This has the added intention of providing the Contractor's Representative with a means of ensuring that documents are not only properly provided to the Employer and Engineer, but most importantly that they are provided within the time limits specified in the Contract.A selection of model letters is provided which make reference to the various clauses of the contract requiring the Contractor to make submissions to the Employer or Engineer.Various appendices.

The guide is not intended to be a review of the legal aspects of FIDIC- based contracts; legal advice should be obtained as and when necessary, particularly if the Contractor has little or no knowledge of the local law.

Armed on site with a copy of The Contractor and the FIDIC Contract, the Contractor's Representative will be more able to avoid contractual problems rather than spend considerable time and energy resolving those problems once they have arisen.

Risk is related to the magnitude and uncertainty of an output (consequence or outcome); outputs take on different identities in different disciplines and situations. Risk is peculiar to each stakeholder and the measurement scale for risk depends on the stakeholder's value system. Risk management provides a way of addressing the issues associated with the magnitude and uncertainty of outputs. This book provides a distinctively rational treatment of risk and risk management, based on a systems approach. The book's treatment applies to all disciplines and sets out the principles of risk and risk management as well as looking at a range of applications and more specialist tools and approaches. The book: Develops a risk framework through a systems approach Offers a challenging and fresh approach for infrastructure engineering, construction and project management in general The book will suit students and practitioners alike.

Construction Delays, Third Edition, provides the latest specialized tools and techniques needed to avoid delays on construction projects. These include institutional, industrial, commercial, hi-rise, power and water, transportation and marine construction projects. Most other references provide only post facto construction delay analysis. This update includes 18 chapters, 105 sections and approximately 100 new pages relative to the second edition.

Despite the wide range of technologies involved, the construction industry still relies heavily on one old-fashioned component: the human. The clients, managers, designers, investors, and a whole host of other stakeholders are all involved in a crucial series of relationships that are just as important to project success as technical know-how. As construction projects become increasingly international as well as interdisciplinary, the risk and cost of disharmonious working grows ever larger. The growth of IT and the increased reliance on large mergers and joint-ventures have created new problems, which require a new set of solutions. Recent research has generated profound insights into international differences in business culture. This new work presents up-to-date theory and practical guidance, identifying situations in which cultural differences present challenges. A focus on "critical incidents", demonstrated in a range of case studies will help readers to foresee such situations in their own projects and processes, and so improve strategic and operational decision-making in construction collaborations. Detailed examples are taken from the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Turkey, the UAE, and China, to explore a variety of problems in very different economic and cultural surroundings. A range of professionals (contractors, developers, investors, architects, engineers, governments, public/private clients) will find this book highly valuable, as will researchers and students.

Clients have been identified as critical for building delivery but have been under-researched with only a few studies about them. This book seeks to address this gap. A deeper look into the nature of construction clients and their relation to building users exposes more fundamental questions related to the activity of building and the activity in the building. These fundamental questions include 'How do clients get what they want?', 'How do clients cope with the building process?', and 'How are clients being shaped by building(s)?'. This book on clients and users is structured around three main themes: Agency is concerned with the classical agency/structure dichotomy on actions, roles and responsibilities or, put differently, whether actors can act freely or are bound by structural constraints. Governance is related to the interplay between clients and the supply system: clients govern the supply system but are at the same time governed by the supply system through different processes and mechanisms. Innovation deals with construction innovation and what part clients and users play in this struggle between change and stability. The book includes theoretical and conceptual frameworks on what constitutes clients and users as well as case studies on R&D themes of relevance to practice.

An interest in the minor metals - termed "minor" as their annual production is relatively small - had been developing for many years. This study, first published in 1965, examines patterns of supply that can be identified as underlying the production of minor metals, and then uses these patterns to investigate the nature and degree of competition in the production of minor metals. This book will be of interest to students of environmental studies.

As a heavy user of electricity the primary aluminium smelting industry is a leading example of the effects of variations in energy costs. This title tells the story that with the rise in energy costs, three regions-Japan, the United States, and Western Europe -have become high-cost locations for primary aluminium production relative to three other regions-Australia, Brazil, and Canada. First published in 1988, this volume presents an analysis of the public policy choices regarding the aluminium industry and electric power in both low-cost power countries and high-cost power countries. The World Aluminium Industry in a Changing Energy World is ideal for policy makers and students interested in environmental studies.

In recent years, Information Technology (IT) has been transforming business practice in many sectors resulting in efficiency gains and improved services for the client. The construction industry lags behind other manufacturing and service industries in adopting the new technology. To promote the wider use of IT in construction, it is essential to equip practitioners and graduates of construction related disciplines with knowledge of existing construction IT applications. This book provides an overview of a broad range of IT applications currently available for all stages throughout the life cycle of a building project, from essential office and information management through to computer-aided design (CAD), cost estimating, project planning and scheduling, and facilities management and building maintenance. It is an invaluable and handy reference for construction professionals and clients, as well as being a clear and comprehensive text for students studying construction, building or architectural courses.

Originally published in 1989. The international steel industry suffered a major decline after the onset of world recession in 1973, perhaps suffering more plant closures and job losses than any other sector. This book analyses the decline, surveying the various factors which have contributed to it, such as changing production strategies, changes in demand and world trade and changing regional production trends. It goes on to examine the impact of decline on steel-making communities, considering the various local, national and international initiatives to assist the affected areas and the way these initiatives have been devised and implemented. The authors conclude that none of these policies has satisfactorily resolved the crisis in the old steel producing areas and that a major crisis in these areas continues. Finally they discuss the social and political options open to these localities for the future.

This internationally conducted study of the latest construction industry practices addresses a broad range of Information and Communication Technology applications. Drawing on research conducted in the US and UK, this book presents the state of the art of various ebusiness processes, and examines BIM, virtual environments and mobile technologies. Innovation is a theme that runs throughout this book, so in addition to the direct impact of these new technical achievements, it also considers the management styles that helped them to emerge. Examples from industry are illustrated with case studies and presented alongside research from some of the best known academics in this field. This book is essential reading for all advanced students and researchers interested in how ICT is changing construction management and the construction industry.