There is, I think, something ethereal about i —the square root of minus one. I remember first hearing about it at school. It seemed an odd beast at that time—an intruder hovering on the edge of reality.

Usually familiarity dulls this sense of the bizarre, but in the case of i it was the reverse: over the years the sense of its surreal nature intensified. It seemed that it was impossible to write mathematics that described the real world in …

I and i

The flow of homogeneous fluids through porous media: analogies with other physical problems

A critical review of the use of 3-D printing in the construction industry

Vision of 3D printing with concrete — Technical, economic and environmental potentials

Integrating BIM and GIS to improve the visual monitoring of construction supply chain management

Comparisons of industry sectors in advanced economies since the 1960s show that the construction sector has lagged in productivity growth rates, especially in the United States. Although the US and Canadian economies are highly integrated, Canada’s experience differs in key ways. Analysis of these differences offers insight into fundamental construction productivity drivers. Three levels of analyses of construction productivity in the US are provided in this study. The first analysis compared international levels of labour productivity growth. The second compared construction productivity between the US and Canada, and the third analysed cost estimating data from RS Means estimating manuals to measure the changes in labour and partial factor productivity in the US from 1995 to 2009. Statistical significance testing indicates that labour productivity remained nearly constant in the building sub-sector and that partial factor productivity has improved at an annual compound rate of 0.66%. This supports previ...

An analysis of construction productivity differences between Canada and the United States

To improve construction productivity and performance, it must be measured. The Construction Sector Council (CSC) has started a Labour Productivity and Project Performance Benchmarking Program for the infrastructure sector of the construction industry in Canada. Metrics were developed for project cost, time, safety, and quality performance; labour pro- ductivity; rework; project conditions; and management practices related to health and safety. Data from 19 projects located in different regions of Canada were collected and analyzed. Based on the results and on industry feedback, additional met- rics for practices related to project planning, materials management, and construction supervisory skills development were developed. This paper describes the development of the program. Lessons learned during the development and implementa- tion of the benchmarking and metrics program are summarized and steps to establish a sustainable program are identified. It is concluded that a successful program is feasible and has the potential to have broad impact.

Development and implementation of a benchmarking and metrics program for construction performance and productivity improvement

Good materials management on large construction projects is critical for maximizing productivity and project performance. When key materials are temporarily lost, whole crews may be left idle and t...

An implementation model for automated construction materials tracking and locating

Field trial of automated material tracking in construction

The aim of this study was to evaluate the municipal solid waste (MSW) composition of Peshawar city and its affective utilization for energy purpose in the cement industry. A total 14 days consecutive testing of MSW samples was conducted for winter and summer periods for the purpose of evaluation of the waste composition followed by calculating its heating values. Compliance level of MSW at source was determined which was based upon the questionnaire distribution followed by the financial analysis and feasibility evaluation of the project. The results revealed that the average waste composition of the samples consists of organic waste contents (20.72%), combustible items (37.86%), readily saleable items (20.95%) and other miscellaneous waste items (20.46%). Moreover, the samples were then tested for the evaluation of calorific value and it was found that the heating value of MSW is recorded up to 35513 KJ/Kg whereas; the value for coal is around 38000 KJ/Kg. These findings revealed that the replacement of coal by MSW may be more efficient and might be effectively utilized in the production of cement as the energy production of MSW and coal is nearly same. In addition, the utilization of MSW as a replacement of coal has a great potential of enhancing the service life of the landfills. Besides, NPV analysis of this study revealed that the project is worthwhile to be implemented as it shows high returns regarding financial aspects.

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Hassan Nasir

Papers

An analysis of construction productivity differences between Canada and the United States

Development and implementation of a benchmarking and metrics program for construction performance and productivity improvement

An implementation model for automated construction materials tracking and locating

Field trial of automated material tracking in construction

Effective Utilization of Municipal Solid Waste as Substitute for Natural Resources in Cement Industry