New materials and energy, design approaches, as well as advances in digital technology and big data, are creating a wave of innovation within the construction industry. Here are ten of the most exciting developments
Cracks in concrete are a common phenomenon due to the relatively low tensile strength. Durability of concrete is impaired by these cracks since they provide an easy path for the transportation of liquids and gasses that potentially contain harmful substances. If micro-cracks grow and reach the reinforcement, not only the concrete itself may be attacked, but also the reinforcement will be corroded. Therefore, it is important to control the crack width and to heal the cracks as soon as possible. Since the costs involved for maintenance and repair of concrete structures are usually high, this research focuses on the development of self-healing concrete. Self-healing of cracks in concrete would contribute to a longer service life of concrete structures and would make the material not only more durable but also more sustainable.
2. Thermal bridging
Efficient insulation material is becoming increasingly important throughout the construction industry. Heat transmission through walls tends to be passed directly through the building envelope, be it masonry, block or stud frame, to the internal fascia such as drywall. This process is known as “thermal bridging”. Aerogel, a technology developed by Nasa for cryogenic insulation, is considered one of the most effective thermal insulation materials and US spin-off Thermablok has adapted it using a proprietary aerogel in a fibreglass matrix. This can be used to insulate studs, which can reportedly increase overall wall R-value (an industry measure of thermal resistance) by more than 40 per cent.
3. Photovoltaic glaze
Building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) glazing can help , by turning the whole building envelope into a solar panel. Companies such as Polysolar provide transparent photovoltaic glass as a structural building material, forming windows, façades and roofs. Polysolar’s technology is efficient at producing energy even on north-facing, vertical walls and its high performance at raised temperatures means it can be double glazed or insulated directly. As well as saving on energy bills and earning feed-in tariff revenues, its cost is only marginal over traditional glass, since construction and framework costs remain, while cladding and shading system costs are replaced.
4. Kinetic Footfall
Human body generates a lot of energy while doing the most-common activity walking. Every foot fall causes pressure when the foot hits the floor, which goes untapped. With the ground surface engineered to harvest the energy, power can be generated from the human footfalls, stored and used as a power
source or even fed to the power grid. For instance, a person dancing on an energy harvesting floor can generate 5–10 watts; in a packed dance club, the production can meet up to 60% of the total energy required for the club.
With this method energy harvesting proving its feasibility, developers of energy harvesting floors concentrating their efforts find the most-efficient way of harvesting energy from footfalls. As a result, several inventions are in the prototype stage. However, some industry players, with the aim to popularize
and establish this technology among varied consumer segment, have already initiated marketing of their products, which has been well received by environmental activists.
5. Kinetic Roads
Cars are a huge source of air pollution, but in the future they could also become a source of clean energy.
That is thanks to a technology called LYBRA, a special, tyre-like rubber paving that converts the kinetic energy produced by moving vehicles into electric energy.
The idea and the project are the brainchild of an Italian start-up called Underground Power.
6 – Predictive Software
The structural integrity of any building is only as good as its individual parts. The way those parts fit together, along with the choice of materials and its specific site, all contribute to how the building will perform under normal, or extreme, conditions. Civil engineers need to integrate a vast number of pieces into building designs, while complying with increasingly demanding safety and government regulations. An example of this was work on the structural integrity of the arch rotation brackets at Wembley Stadium, undertaken by Bennett Associates, using ANSYS software, which simulated the stresses on the brackets that hold and move the distinctive arches above the stadium.
7. 3D Modelling
Planning innovation has been driven by the growth of smart cities. CyberCity3D (CC3D) is a geospatial-modelling innovator specialising in the production of smart 3D building models. It creates smart digital 3D buildings to help the architectural, engineering and construction sector visualise and communicate design and data with CC3D proprietary software. The models integrate with 3D geographic information system platforms, such as Autodesk and ESRI, and can stream 3D urban building data to Cesium’s open architecture virtual 3D globe. It provides data for urban, energy, sustainability and design planning, and works in conjunction with many smart city SaaS platforms such as Cityzenith.
8 – Modular Construction
Modular construction is a process in which a building is constructed off-site, under controlled plant conditions, using the same materials and designing to the same codes and standards as conventionally built facilities – but in about half the time. Buildings are produced in “modules” that when put together on site, reflect the identical design intent and specifications of the most sophisticated site-built facility – without compromise.
9. Cloud Collaboration
Basestone is a system allowing the remote sharing of data on a construction site in real time. It is predominantly a review tool for engineers and architects which digitises the drawing review process on construction projects, and allows for better collaboration. The cloud-based collaboration tool is focused on the installation of everything from steel beams to light fittings. The system is used to add “snags”, issues that happen during construction, on to pdfs, then users can mark or add notes through basestone. Trials have revealed possible cost-savings of around 60 per cent compared with traditional paper-based review methods.
10. Asset mapping
Asset mapping focuses on operational equipment, including heating and air conditioning, lighting and security systems, collecting data from serial numbers, firmware, engineering notes of when it was installed and by whom, and combines the data in one place. The system can show engineers in real time on a map where the equipment needs to be installed and, once the assets are connected to the real-time system using the internet of things, these can be monitored via the web, app, and other remote devices and systems. It helps customers build databases of asset performance, which can assist in proactive building maintenance, and also reduce building procurement and insurance costs.
Design of Full Building (Concrete) by using CSI ETABS and CSI SAFE
In this videos, the user can learn, how to simulate the concrete structure with no column in the hall, Thoroughly analyse and design the structural members of the Hall.
Design of Full Building Concrete by using CSI ETABS and CSI SAFE Part 1-2
Design of Full Building Concrete by using CSI ETABS and CSI SAFE Part 2-2
Renzo piano reveals plans for genoa bridge reconstruction
Following the deadly collapse of genoa’s morandi bridge in august 2018, italian architect renzo piano had announced plans to donate a replacement design. on december 18, 2018, genoa mayor mario bucci announced that the project will take 12 months to complete once the site has been prepared. mayor bucci, the commissioner overseeing the reconstruction, also announced the selection of salini impregilo and fincantieri infrastructure, via a new company called PERGENOVA, for the construction of the bridge according to renzo piano’s design.
Piano comments on the spirit of the redesign: ‘the new bridge will have to be simple and parsimonious, but not trivial. it will look like a ship moored in the valley; a light and bright steel bridge. it will reflect the sunlight during the day and absorb solar energy to return it at night. it will be a sober bridge, respecting the character of the genoese.‘
The continuous steel deck will extend 1,100 meters across genoa’s polcevera river all images courtesy of renzo piano building workshop
Situated along italy’s northwestern coast, genoa is the sixth largest city in the country. the bridge serves as an essential element that will allow genoa to reclaim its role as a great port and trade city. the bridge is an important junction connecting the city with france, the port and, generally, with nearby areas. renzo piano building workshopdesigned the bridge with a continuous steel deck extending 1,100 meters (3,609 ft) with 20 spans. the 19 elliptical piers of reinforced concrete will be primarily positioned at 50 meter increments, although because of their location on the river and the railway, two of these piers will be 100 meters apart. construction will be led by collaborating companies, salini impregilo and fincantieri.
Salini impregilo and fincantieri will work together by creating a new company called PERGENOVAThe bridge over the polcevera is a key artery connecting the port and the wider coastal area to france
Public works are expected to kickstart the economy and begin to create jobs again
The bridge will reflect the sunlight during the day and absorb solar energy to return it at night
The project foresees completion 12 months from the moment work begins
World’s longest sea bridge opens between hong kong and china
The world’s longest sea-crossing bridge has been officially opened, connecting hong kong, macau and zhuhai. measuring 55-kilometer (34.2 mile) in length, the dual three-lane link, hong kong-zhuhai-macau bridge, is part of beijing’s plan for a greater bay area covering 56,500 square kilometers (21,800 square miles) across southern china, encompassing 11 cities in total. the city hopes to form a rival tech hub to san francisco bay out of the three coastal areas the structure directly connects.
The bridge, which is made up of a 9.4km viaduct and 1km tunnel, posed a number of challenges to the project team. a 41m vertical clearance above sea level was required for the viaduct section in order to not obstruct marine traffic, a consideration that also influenced the construction process itself. the bridge is comprised of over 5,700 precast pile caps weighing between 75 and 225 tonnes that were used to minimize the amount of building works on sea.
the bridge structure includes two artificial islands that serve as entry and exit points for a 4-mile underwater sea tunnel west of the hong kong section of the bridge on lantau island. it is designed to last 120 years, withstand typhoons, and resist the impact of a magnitude-8 earthquake and a 300,000 metric ton vessel, according to the official in charge of the project’s construction.originally due to open in 2016, repeated delays pushed forward its completion and nine years after construction first began, it was declared open in a ceremony in zhuhai on tuesday, attended by chinese president xi jinping and hong kong’s chief executive, carrie lam.
The $20billion bridge will be open to public traffic on wednesday cutting journey times between the cities from four hours to 45 minutes, which officials say will enable commuters and tourists to easily move around the region. although it aims to bring the autonomous regions closer to mainland china, the bridge will only be accessible to a few. people from hong kong will need special permits and there have been reports that long-term permits to cross from hong kong to zhuhai will be granted to people who meet strict criteria, such as paying significant taxes in china, those who make large donations to charities in the southern chinese province of guangdong, or those who are members of one of several political organisations. a private shuttle bus can be used by other people however there is no actual public transport on the bridge.
More than half of construction firms now using drones to capture data
The use of digital/reality capture information from drone technology continues to increase in the UK and Irish construction industries, with 52% of respondents to a new survey now using the technology compared with 33% in 2017.
This increase has been revealed in a poll by aerial mapping, inspection and surveying specialist ProDroneWorx. However, more advanced digital/reality capture outputs continue to be underutilised, the survey found.
ProDroneWorx asked senior figures within the construction, infrastructure and asset inspection markets about their perception, usage and understanding of the digital/reality capture outputs from drone technology. A total of 150 respondents took part across the UK and Ireland.
Construction company Kier said: “The latest ProDroneWorx survey demonstrates how far drone technology has progressed. Kier is working closely with ProDroneWorx on some key projects to realise the benefits from drone technology, including progress capture, 360 photography and photogrammetry.”
Steven Hedley, vice president technical at the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists, said: “As regulation and licencing laws surrounding drone usage tighten, it is imperative that specialist drone operators continue to facilitate the development of drone technology and its integration with Building Information Modelling within our industry to maximise benefits and minimise misuse.”
According to the survey, the top three reasons for adopting the technology are improved data quality (56%), time saving (54%) and the reduction of risk (42%). Interestingly, fewer companies than last year are planning on utilising drone technology in-house, reflecting, perhaps the level of knowledge and expertise needed to deploy them.
However, the findings also demonstrate that drone technology is currently being underutilised. While 74% of respondents are using drone technology for photography and video, fewer than 30% of respondents are using the technology for value-added services such as aerial LiDAR, 3D point clouds, 3D modelling, digital surface/terrain models, orthophotos and thermal imaging.
Ian Tansey, managing director at ProDroneWorx, said: “In a world of very tight margins of about 2% in construction, and an increasingly competitive landscape, the use of digital/reality capture data gives firms a significant competitive advantage over their peers through improved data quality, reduced costs, increased productivity gains and the mitigation of risk”.
Tansey says that digital/reality capture data outputs created from drone technology using photogrammetry and LiDAR are starting to transform traditional business models, helping to reshape the construction, infrastructure and asset inspection markets.
This is happening through the improved management of assets digitally, deeper data insights, better collaboration on projects, improved data deliverables to clients, cost reductions and the reduction of risk.
The survey also found that of the 52% that are currently using drone technology, the majority (45%) have been using it for less than a year, and only 14% of this sub-group have been using the technology for the last three to five years, making them very early adopters
The three main reasons firms are using the technology are:
Improved data quality (56%)
Time saving (54%)
Reduced risk (42%)
Other findings:
74% of those not using the technology plan on using it in future, so usage should continue to increase.
Only a small proportion (15%) of firms have no plans to use the technology in the future.
Construction firms have two options when it comes to deciding how to incorporate drone technology into their business models and workflow: creating an internal drone unit/function; or using a third party specialist. The vast majority of firms plan on outsourcing the business to third party companies; only 23% of companies plan on using the technology themselves (in-house), down from 28% in 2017.
The majority of respondents (78%) were from England, followed by the Republic of Ireland at 11%; a smaller number were from Scotland (7%) and Wales (3%).
26% of respondents were from Construction, 17% Architecture, 17% Civil Engineering, 9% Building Surveying, 7% Surveying and 23% in other sectors.
The purpose of this template is to provide a simple view of how an Agile project can be tracked. Most teams who already have tools should use this to guide them on how to customize the tool to provide this information.
If you have no tool yet you may use this to track a simple project BUT this is not a scalable solution! So once you’re past doing a Pilot and want to deploy agile beyond one or two teams you should consider using a tool to support your effort.
Download a Summary for The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK 6th Edition), it helps more people interested to get a Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification.
The Project Management Body of Knowledge is a set of standard terminology and guidelines (a body of knowledge) for project management.
The body of knowledge evolves over time and is presented in A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (the Guide to the PMBOK or the Guide), a book whose sixth edition was released in 2017.
The Guide is a document resulting from work overseen by the Project Management Institute (PMI), which offers the CAPM and PMP certifications.
This eBook is an attempt to summarize the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) 6th Edition in preparation for the PMP® exam.