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While academic researchers have proposed various theories for managing risk and uncertainty in construction projects, most of the propositions are conceptual in nature and based on analytical modelling approaches rarely used in practice. This research was triggered by an observation in which a R1·5 billion (∼US$100 million) fast-track New Universities Project in South Africa was successfully delivered within budget despite up to 74% of the project scope not being capable of being priced by the contractor at the start of construction. The aim of this paper was to examine the client’s delivery-management approach used to manage uncertainty and deliver within budget successfully. The evidence from document analyses and interviews with the client delivery-management team members shows that setting a rigorous control budget, designing to the budget, working collaboratively, disciplined management of the control budget and continuous value engineering were the key client management techniques used to manage the high degree of uncertainty and deliver the project within budget successfully. Given that these are client-led delivery-management issues, the findings fill an important gap in the knowledge and understanding of how infrastructure project outcomes can be significantly improved on when the client functions as the leader of the infrastructure delivery process.

Fast track construction with enhanced quality, sustainable and environment-friendly methods and materials are much sought after in the construction industry. Insulated concrete form (ICF) is an evolving technique that could satisfy the present demand of the construction industry. ICF is a composite of concrete and expanded polystyrene (EPS), which enhances the insulation and other mechanical properties to the building. The objective of this study is to explore the compressive and flexural characteristics of EPS and ICF blocks under standard loading condition and evaluate the thermal performance of ICF panels using R-value. Plastic deformation, failure and energy absorption behavior of EPS and ICF blocks are assessed using compressive stress-strain profiles. The experimental results show that the plastic deformation of the ICF block is 78 times higher than plain concrete block. The presence of EPS in ICF helps to change the failure nature of sandwiched concrete from brittle to ductile, which is quantified in terms of plastic deformation. A simplified experimental approach is proposed to study the thermal performance of ICF panel using R-value. The proposed design is effective to measure the thermal resistance of wall panels and the obtained R-value of the ICF panel is 5.22 m2.K/W which is 7.9 times higher than the plain concrete panel. The higher R-value of ICF provides greater insulation to the building by keeping the controlled temperature for longer periods. This thermal insulation behavior of ICF reduces power demand and makes the building more energy-efficient. Thus the ICF system helps in sustainable building construction by affording high thermal insulation with improved structural strength.

Modular prefabrication technology promotes off-site manufacturing of modules and on-site assembly by improving the construction efficiency, safety and productivity. However, the joining of individual modules needs special connectors that must be fast to install and robust enough to ensure structural integrity. The restrictions on the overall dimension and weight of the modules for lifting and transportation provide the impetus to develop a more efficient structural module system that is lightweight and fast to install. This paper discusses the design and construction challenges of existing modular construction of high-rise buildings and provides solutions to resolve these challenges. A novel lightweight steel-concrete composite system is introduced to reduce the weight of the module without compromising the strength and stiffness. To increase the available headroom, a slim floor system is proposed to reduce the floor-to-floor depth and ensure the integration of buildings service within the structural zone. High strength concrete is used as an infill material for tubular columns to maintain the same column size to avoid complex joining details involving modules with different column sizes. Long-span steel concrete composite modular system is proposed to reduce the number of joints and columns for fast track construction. A fast and easy joining technique is developed to ensure fast installation of modules. Inter-module joints are modelled as semi-rigid to capture the realistic joint behaviour in global analysis to ensure the structural integrity and overall stability of the building.

The project of Bangalore–Hosur elevated expressway comprises 10 km of elevated viaduct, a complex traffic interchange, two flyovers, several vehicular underpasses and pedestrian underpasses (VUPs a...

A fast-track project delivery strategy is designed to leverage the ability to execute the design, procurement, and construction phases simultaneously to substantially reduce the overall project duration. The successful execution of the design phase in fast-track projects is especially challenging because the concurrent execution of design and construction interferes with the inherently iterative nature of the design process. In this research, it was hypothesized that a correlation exists between the use of some of the Construction Industry Institute (CII) best practices and the performance of design phase in fast-track projects. Analysis of the performance of the design phase in 31 fast-track projects revealed a statistically significant correlation between performance of the design phase and front-end planning, alignment, constructability, and change management. The results of quantitative analysis are supported by qualitative analysis of data, opinion of experts from industry, and academia. The ...

South Africa embarked on an accelerated infrastructure development program in preparation of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. This paper describes the structural aspects and the construction of five of ten...

The Bridge Technical Committee of PCI Northeast has recently developed a standard for a new beam called the Northeast Extreme Tee (NEXT) Beam. The goals of this new section are to provide a fast construction option for variable width bridges with spans up to 90 ft. The section resembles a standard double-tee except that the stems are wider to handle the moment and shear demand for bridge loads. The top flange of the beam is thin and is intended to provide formwork for a cast-in-place concrete deck, which is intended to save substantial time during construction. The beam was designed to be easy to fabricate, which will inevitably lead to lower bridge costs. This article focuses on the Committee's work in developing the beam and summarizes the design criteria and how the Committee accomplished those goals.

This paper presents a case study of the construction of a partially pre-stressed multi-storey offi ce block in Adelaide, Australia. The designers and construction managers faced numerous issues involving the construction speed and performance of the nine storey building, in particular the performance of the two-way partially pre-stressed suspended slabs. The planned construction period was an absolute minimum due to a contract for early occupancy and high daily costs of construction equipment. Excessive deflections of the 9.6 m 8.4 m 200 mm thick slabs were a concern for this fast-track construction. This situation created some significant issues to ensure satisfactory construction speed and acceptable deflection levels. This paper discusses these issues while also explaining and documenting the steps taken to obtain the final solution. A large collection of data from the construction process is presented. An emphasis is placed on the material properties of the concrete slabs, namely compressive strength (fc) and modulus of elasticity (Ec) development over time, due to their direct effect on the construction timeline. The effects of concrete curing conditions on material property development are also addressed. Lastly the outcomes and performance of the slabs, namely construction time and slab deformations, are presented.

This study discusses five bridges on I-80 in Utah that were replaced in the summer of 2008 by using accelerated bridge construction methods. Each superstructure was built off site and moved into place with self-propelled modular transporters. The bridges were instrumented and monitored during the moving process to investigate the effects of moving an entire superstructure into place. Collected data were analyzed to find the level of stress each superstructure experienced during lifting, moving, and placement of each bridge. Support conditions for these bridges changed considerably. During construction and when permanently placed, they were simply supported structures. During transport, the lift points were in the interior of the bridges, resulting in cantilevered ends and considerable stress reversals in the entire bridge. A two-dimensional analysis was done using the dead load of the structure to find the initial stresses in the superstructure when supported on temporary abutments. The measured change in stress resulting from lifting was compared with calculations. The difference between the two stresses was defined as the lifting stress in the superstructure. Dynamic stresses incurred as a result of bridge movement are determined and compared with recommendations.

The need for accelerated bridge construction (ABC) arises from the increases in traffic congestion over the past few decades and the corresponding costs and safety issues manifest in many forms, including exposure of workers to traffic hazards and waste of time caused by delays. Prefabricated bridge components are in increasing demand for ABC. Precasting eliminates the need to form, cast, and cure concrete in the work zones, making bridge construction safer and improving quality and durability. Precast bridges consisting of pretensioned girders, post-tensioned spliced girders, trapezoidal open-box girders, and other types of superstructure members are often used for ABC; however, bridge engineers are concerned about the durability and performance of bridges made of precast members in areas of high and moderate seismicity. Starting in 2008, the Washington State Department of Transportation (DOT) initiated a practice development and implementation for ABC. Washington State DOT has established a task force headed by an ABC advisory committee to develop standards, guidelines, and key policies for implementing structure design for ABC.

As part of the rebuilding efforts after Hurricane Katrina, the Mississippi Department of Transportation awarded a design–build contract for the replacement of the 2.1-mi-long US-90 bridge spanning Bay St. Louis. With a January 25, 2006, start date, the deadline for opening two lanes of traffic was May 16, 2007, followed by a February 15, 2008, deadline for opening the entire bridge. The bridge was constructed as two separate structures except for the navigation unit, where the deck and substructure are continuous between the eastbound and westbound structures. To allow for such an aggressive construction schedule, several concepts were used. Plans were delivered in stages to allow construction to proceed before the final submittal. The use of precast components including girders, piles, and capbeams was maximized. Pile bents to a height of 75 ft above fixity were used, with no battered piles. The pile and girder sections were varied to allow for utilization of more precast fabricators. Precast, prestressed piles, ranging in length from 50 to 164 ft, form the bridge foundations of the pile bents (24- and 36-in. piles) and waterline footings (30-in. piles). Typical superstructure elements consist of BT-78 girders (maximum span of 154 ft) and AASHTO Type IV girders (maximum span of 112 ft). A spliced haunch girder system with a 250-tt main span and 200-ft end spans was implemented at the navigational channel to satisfy the vertical and horizontal clearances.

The end bents of an existing bridge located west of Lake Wales, Florida, experienced significant settlement, leading to concern about its stability. A detailed foundation inspection attributed the settlement to deterioration of the existing timber piles. The bridge was closed to traffic until both end bents could be remediated. An adjacent bridge handled both directions of traffic during the closure. The geotechnical contractor proposed a solution of micropiles installed through both end bents to restore the bridge's capacity. Timing was a critical component of the remediation work. The micropile program consisted of the use of rotary drilling techniques to install 20 micropiles through the end bents to a depth of 30 ft. The tops of the micropiles were bonded to the end bent pile caps. A load test was performed on a test pile installed adjacent to the existing bridge.

In the quest to shorten project delivery time, construction professionals have the option of overlapping design and construction activities. Although time savings can be achieved by overlapping, conducting design and construction operations in a nonnatural sequence can carry significant risks. To mitigate these risks and make more appropriate overlapping decisions, concurrent engineering concepts can be used to classify upstream design activities in terms of design evolution and downstream construction activities in terms of sensitivity to upstream design changes. The focus of this work is to determine the factors that contribute to the sensitivity of construction activities. A series of semistructured interviews with experienced construction professionals show that the level of transformation, lead time, modularity, and the interaction of built components are some of the factors that determine the amount of sensitivity in construction activities to upstream design changes. These determinants provide for a quick assessment of an activity's sensitivity, which can help practitioners limit risk when planning the overlapping of design and construction activities.

In the case of fast track construction, where the design and construction phases are carried out in parallel to shorten the project delivery duration, establishing a Design Management System (DMS) to reduce the interference between design and construction activities has received more attention both from researchers and industry professionals. Especially, in investment projects like mega infrastructure projects, where the total duration of the project is directly related to the profitability of the project, effectiveness of the communication channels and strength of collaboration relations between the design and construction teams can be achieved through effective integration of the DMS with Project Management System (PMS). Within the context of this paper, a framework for DMS used in a mega infrastructure project in Korea will be introduced and its integration with the PMS using the case study will be discussed. This paper briefly demonstrates the responsibility distribution and management of design processes at different design levels. The system also argues how the information exchange is performed between design and construction teams via the integration of design and construction schedule.

Combining the design-build and fast-tracking delivery methods, this study aimed to reengineering the fast-tracking processes across both organizations of designer and constructor, so that fast-tracking processes in the design-build team can span across organizational boundaries and are composed of cooperating workflows executed in different organizations. For this purpose, two subjects are described in this study, namely, (1) fast-tracking model creation, and (2) cross-organizational process reengineering. Consequently, this research addressed a mechanism to facilitate the flexibility of cross-organizational process integration, which may assess alliance of design and construction companies for one design-build project.

Over the last 5 years the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has completed three experimental long-life urban freeway rehabilitation projects by utilizing a fast-track (accelerated) construction approach of around-the-clock operations under extended closure. This paper presents the fast-track rehabilitation approaches and the as-built production rates of major rehabilitation operations monitored at the three experimental projects. The monitoring results show that the contractor’s production rates varied considerably depending upon the construction logistics, material delivery and hauling methods, lane-closure tactics, and/or pavement designs being implemented. A higher production rate and a noticeable “learning-curve effect” were observed when full-width rehabilitation was compared with partial-width rehabilitation, when continuous lane reconstruction was compared with random slab replacements, and when full roadbed closures were compared with partial lane closures. Findings in this study ...

This case study paper presents an innovative fast-track approach applied to a heavily trafficked urban freeway reconstruction project in Southern California. Badly deteriorated truck lanes in both directions along a 4.5-km stretch of I-15 were rebuilt from the gravel base up. The operations, estimated to take 10 months using traditional nighttime closures, were completed in two 9-day continuous closures with round-the-clock (about 210 h for each direction) operations. This “Rapid Rehab” project adopted state-of-practice technologies to accelerate construction, mitigate traffic disruptions, and propagate project information. As a result, traffic demand through the construction work zone was reduced by 20% and the maximum peak-hour delay was reduced by 50%. The estimated benefits of accelerated reconstruction on this project included a 28% reduction in agency cost and 29% time value savings to road users, compared to the traditional approach of using repeated nighttime closures. Web surveys showed dramatic changes in public perception of the Rapid Rehab approach from initial reluctance and objection to positive support.

Information and experiences about accelerated or fast-track portland cement concrete (PCC) paving projects from the airport pavement industry are presented. The focus is on steps that can be taken during the planning phase to accelerate airfield PCC paving projects; the presentation is based on detailed case studies that were developed under an Innovative Pavement Research Foundation project. These case studies were developed from an extensive list of accelerated projects compiled from sources within the airfield paving industry, including contractors, designers, owners, and industry representatives. The key to applying accelerated paving techniques for rigid pavements lies in understanding the available strategies and in knowing when and how these strategies should be applied. A range of materials is available for accelerating pavement opening times, which is most often thought of as accelerated paving. However, beyond the simple selection of appropriate materials, many other strategies can accelerate an airfield PCC paving or repair project, including thorough planning and coordination of project activities, considering procurement and contract factors, and application of appropriate phasing and scheduling techniques during the project planning phase. Strategies addressing design, construction, and ancillary issues are included in the Accelerated Practices for Airfield Concrete Pavement Construction final documents.

As an asphalt concrete demonstration project implemented under the California Department of Transportation's Long-Life Pavement Rehabilitation Strategies program, a 4.4 km stretch of Interstate-710 I-710 in Long Beach was successfully rehabilitated during eight repeated 55-h extended weekend closures using around-the-clock construction operations and counterflow traffic. This case study documented the accelerated rehabilitation process, assessed traffic impacts, and compared collected productivity data. Compared to the productivity rates of traditional nighttime closures, the 55-h weekend closures effectively reduced the construction duration and the overall traffic inconvenience. Noticeable improvement "learning-curve effect" in the contractor's production rates was observed as the weekend closures were repeated. As a result of a significant 38% traffic demand reduction through the work zone, the traffic impact of construction closures was tolerable to the extent that traffic was in free-flow condition throughout the highway network. This case study will be useful for transportation agencies and contractors in developing integrated construction and traffic management plans for urban freeway rehabilitation projects to maximize pavement life expectancy and construction productivity while minimizing agency and road user costs.

The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) created Strategic Initiative Number 9 to “build bridges smarter, faster and better.” One project undertaken by ODOT was to use a precast, post-tensioned slab bridge in place of a cast-in-place slab. To accommodate school schedules and a festival, the bridge was to be completed in 16 days. However, the bridge was actually completed in 19 days. Delays were due to weather, equipment problems, and confusion over plans and specifications. Contributing to the success of the project was the effective partnering between ODOT and the contractor, along with a high level of upfront planning. However it is necessary to address problems such as the lack of contingency plans and some unexpected issues that were overlooked in the planning phase.

This case study presents an innovative fast-track reconstruction approach applied to a heavily trafficked Long-Life (30-plus years) Pavement Rehabilitation Strategies (LLPRS) project on I-15 in Devore in Southern California. A 4.5-km stretch of badly damaged concrete truck lanes was rebuilt over two 215-h (approximately 9-day) periods with one-roadbed full closures with counterflow traffic and around-the-clock (24 h per day/7 days per week) construction operations. The same project would have taken 10 months to complete with traditional nighttime closures. State-of-practice technologies were adopted on this Rapid Rehab project to accelerate construction, mitigate traffic disruptions, and propagate project information. From the initial planning and design stages, engineers used CA4PRS (Construction Analysis for Pavement Rehabilitation Strategies) software incorporated with traffic simulation models to develop an optimal and economical rehabilitation scenario. Postconstruction data validated the preconstruction analysis and simulation estimates of productivity and traffic delays. Because of the implementation of an Automated Work Zone Information System and proactive public outreach, a 20% reduction in traffic demand through the construction work zone was achieved and thereby reduced the maximum peak hour delay to a “tolerable” level. Surveys on the project website showed dramatic changes in public perception of the Rapid Rehab extended closures approach from initial reluctance and objection to positive support. Advantages of using this method of fast-track accelerated highway reconstruction included less traffic disruption for the traveling public, longer (more than 30 years) pavement life expectancy, improved safety for motorists and workers, and reduced agency cost compared with the traditional approach using repeated nighttime closures.

The California Department of Transportation is rehabilitating or reconstructing deteriorated urban freeways using long-life (30+ years) strategies. These pavements were constructed between 1955 and 1970 with design lives of 20 years. This paper summarizes pre-construction analysis of the fast-track pavement reconstruction on Interstate-15 (I-15) at Devore which used two one-roadbed continuous (about 210 hours) closures with round-the-clock (24/7) operations. The integrated analysis concluded that the one-roadbed continuous closures are the most economical scenario when compared to traditional nighttime or weekend closures from the perspective of schedule, delay, and costs. The pre-construction was validated with as-built construction and traffic performances monitored during construction. The construction management plan – including contingency, incentives, and CPM schedule – was developed utilizing the Construction Analysis for Pavement Rehabilitation Strategies (CA4PRS) computer model. The results of this planning study are useful for transportation agencies in developing highway rehabilitation strategies that balance the maximization of construction productivity with a minimization of traffic delay.

This paper introduces an innovative approach to development of construction and traffic management plans for the I-15 Devore project, a fast-track urban freeway reconstruction project with high traffic volume in Southern California. The goal of this approach is to determine the most economical reconstruction closure scenario by integrating construction schedule, traffic delay, and agency cost. Construction Analysis for Pavement Rehabilitation Strategies (CA4PRS) software was used for scheduling analysis. The demand-capacity model based on the Highway Capacity Manual, and macroscopic and microscopic traffic simulation models were utilized for traffic delay analysis. Based on these analyses, the California Department of Transportation decided to implement eight 72 h weekday closures with round-the-clock operations for this reconstruction project. This was found to be more beneficial for both the agency and the traveling public than the alternative of: (1) 55 h weekend, (2) 10 h nighttime, or (3) one-time co...

This paper introduces an integrated approach to the development of construction and traffic management plans for the reconstruction of high-volume urban freeways. The Devore project, which rebuilds a 4.2 km stretch of the deteriorated concrete pavement (truck lanes) on Interstate-15 (I-15) in San Bernardino County in southern California, is used as a case study. Alternative closure timing, closure duration, and number of closed lanes were compared to identify the best rehabilitation strategy for the Devore reconstruction project. The perspectives of construction schedule, traffic inconvenience (road user cost and maximum delay), and agency costs were considered. The analysis concluded that full closure of one roadbed with counter-flow traffic during repeated three or four continuous weekdays, utilizing round-the-clock reconstruction operations, was the best strategy for both the public and the sponsoring agency. A delay in the start of construction from Spring to Fall 2004 is expected to cause a 5% seasonal traffic increase, which will result in a $4.5 million increase in road user cost and a 20% increase in maximum queue delay per closure.

A 25 kilometer section of the I-15 freeway crosses the metropolitan region of Salt Lake City, Utah. The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) built the road the fast track way: “Design and build.” The project disrupted traffic for four and a half years. Had the freeway been rebuilt by several traditional “design-bid-build” contracts, traffic would have been disrupted for about a decade. This paper compares the disruptive impacts of fast track and traditional construction. Traffic delays, accidents, and emissions estimates for each approach provide a highly detailed assessment of the implications of building quickly. The road closure schedules for each alternative are based on recorded events and UDOT standard practice. The travel modeling is done through VISUM with diurnal traffic assignments. The results show that fast track construction is superior to the traditional approach in terms of user delays. While the impact of emissions and accidents is measurable, it proves to be less significant. The pape...

Design and build (D/B) construction methods have gained more importance in recent years for their potential advantages in improving project performance. There are, however, a number of problems that are commonplace in D/B procurement, which, when they interact with each other, can lead to project time and cost overrun problems. The most important among them are design changes, together with communication and coordination lapses among concerned parties. Past research has focused only on the characteristics of the traditional construction, or separate sub‐systems such as different phases or human resource input to projects. An attempt is made in this paper to improve D/B project time and cost performance. A generic system dynamics model is developed that incorporates major sub‐systems and their relationships inherent in D/B constructions projects. It is validated and calibrated for a typical large D/B infrastructure project using time and cost overrun problems experienced in Thailand. Extensive simulations with many policies, individually or in various combinations, show that improvement in time or cost can be made with proper policy combinations that reflect strong interactions between the whole design and build system and can be derived only if these interactions are accounted for. To achieve overall improvement in both time and cost, the combination of full overtime schedule, average material ordering, and fast track construction with moderate crashing of design is most appropriate. If cost is the focus, extending the construction schedule, combined with material ordering based on actual need, and design and build with traditional construction method is the best solution.

An effective and well-known technique for earlier completion of construction projects is to overlap the project activities that normally would be performed in sequence. Overlapping, often called fast-tracking, is inherently risky because it increases uncertainties and can result in more changes and rework. In order to gain maximum advantages from early project completion, a trade-off between benefits and losses of activity overlapping is required. In this paper, a new model has been developed to (1) explain in detail the mechanism and characteristics of design activity overlapping and (2) formulate and discuss design activity overlapping time-cost trade-off. A qualitative research methodology including interviews and focus groups with experts was used to generate and refine the model. This model contributes to the body of knowledge of construction management by demonstrating (1) how to analyze multipath networks through introducing the multi-predecessor effect and (2) how to analyze concurrent ove...

The fast-tracking delivery method has received considerable attention over the last decade, and its time saving feature has placed it as a possible alternative to the traditional more sequential method. Along with its benefits, however, fast-tracking also has greater potential to impact the project development process than the traditional method. In the literature, this is usually attributed to the increased level of uncertainty and research on fast-tracking has mainly focused on uncertainty reduction but without explicit study of the feedback processes involved in fast-tracking. However, closer observations of the project development process suggest that to effectively handle uncertainty and minimize the negative impact of fast-tracking, the feedback processes involved in fast-tracking need to be identified, and the dynamic behavior of construction resulting from those feedback processes needs to be dealt with in a systematic manner. As an effort to meet these needs, this paper presents the Dynamic Plann...

A dynamic planning and control methodology is developed by integrating the applications of axiomatic design concepts, concurrent engineering concepts, the graphical evaluation and review technique (GERT), and the system dynamics modeling technique. The goal of the proposed methodology is to help create a dynamic project plan for design/build fast-track civil engineering and architectural projects where unforeseen changes can be absorbed in the project schedule without creating major interruptions. The axiomatic design concepts are applied to formulate and evaluate various work methodologies, and to create a project plan based on the selected work methodology. The concept of concurrent engineering is adapted to develop a fast-tracking framework based on the task production rate, the upstream task reliability, and downstream task sensitivity to the upstream error. The GERT diagramming scheme is used to calculate the project duration probabilistically by incorporating the possible branches and loops in the p...

The canopy for the Port of Miami Terminals 3, 4, and 5 in Miami, Florida, provides shelter for embarking and disembarking cruise ship passengers as they transfer to buses, taxis, and cars. Precast/prestressed concrete proved to be the fastest and least expensive solution to an innovative architectural and structural design. By creatively combining and connecting the precast components together, the elegant lines and soaring architectural motif intended by the architect was achieved on the fast track construction schedule demanded by the owner. This article presents the architectural features, structural design considerations, and construction highlights of the project.

In an attempt to expedite the construction process for deck replacement projects, the Connecticut Department of Transportation investigated a design that would use full-depth precast concrete deck slabs. The idea was to limit the amount of form work and casting of concrete done in the field. There were no standard details or methods for a precast slab bridge deck, so the department researched the subject to develop a knowledge base. The process that the Connecticut Department of Transportation underwent to research past studies with precast bridge elements is outlined. The research included laboratory studies as well as actual construction projects in several states. Using the results of the research, the Connecticut Department of Transportation developed a system that met the objective. This was a case in which information from several research efforts in the past was compiled into a working system that was structurally sound and practical. The system was tried on two distinctly different bridges with different approaches to rapid deck replacements. The first involved a fast-tracked full closure of a ramp with a one-lane bridge, while the second included a long viaduct that could be closed only on weekends. Both projects were a success and have been in service for several years without any problems.

This paper investigates “concurrent construction” and its potential application in life cycle management of capital projects. The construction industry is under pressure to reduce project delivery times and costs despite increased uncertainties, ambiguities, and complexities that surround today's projects. Concurrent construction may well hold the key to success on this front. Concurrent construction is based on integrating all project phases into a single phase. It starts with the definition of a product model and division of the project into major parts or systems accordingly. Each part or system is entrusted to a team consisting of members drawn from the relevant disciplines as well as the contractor. The delivery of a specific part is carried out by the relevant team in an integrated fashion in a single phase. While the potential benefits of concurrent construction are beyond doubt, current contractual, organizational, and work method barriers militate against realizing these. However, there are worka...

Quality deviation data are collected from nine fast‐track industrial construction projects. The data are collected after the construction phase of the projects and identify the direct costs associated with rework (including redesign), repair, and replacement. Analyses of the data indicate that deviations on the projects accounted for an average of 12.4% of the total project costs. Furthermore, design deviations average 78% of the total number of deviations, 79% of the total deviation costs, and 9.5% of the total project cost. Construction deviations average 16% of the total number of deviations, 17% of the total deviation costs, and 2.5% of the total project cost. These values are conservative because they consider only direct costs, but they are indications of the areas that cause the greatest impact on total project costs. By applying the procedures presented in this paper to its historical records, a company can identify not only its deviation costs, but also the most likely areas on which to focus to ...

A case study of an industrial project is used to identify the number, type, and time of occurrence of design-related problems. The information is then used to develop a model to forecast potential design-related problems. Two methods of forecasting future problems are proposed. Profile curves that tested whether the percentage of problems is linearly proportional to the percentage of progress completed were insightful. The study also found that the number of problems had a strong predictive relationship to the numbers of design and construction man-hours recorded on this project, and models were developed for each of these relationships.

A tubular system for high-rise buildings might be inappropriate for steel structures in contrast to reinforced concrete ones. However, such a system had to be selected for the SK Headquarters Buildings because of the fast track construction together with increased building storeys. Despite well-known disadvantages due to a lot of steel moment connections in a tubular system, the cooperation of architects and structural designers explored the advantages, such as reduced floor height and an effective metal frame of curtain wall as well as simpler core and office area planning.

In high‐rise concrete buildings, contractors can increase their construction rate by using high‐strength concrete with a two‐day cycle. The fast construction rate will reduce the cost of formwork, as well as the number of working days. However, the effect of the fast construction rate on short‐ and long‐term deflections is not clearly understood. Herein, a 3‐D three‐story R.C. flat plate‐column system model was analyzed for two construction rates: one floor/two days, the fast rate, and one floor/seven days, the usual rate in practice. The analysis has been made by the finite element method, including the effects of concrete creep and cracking. It is found that the fast rate of construction in high‐rise R.C. flat plate‐type buildings will not increase short‐ or long‐term deflections, provided that high‐strength concrete (fc′⩾7,000psi) and high early strength cement (Type III) are used. On the contrary, the fast construction rate when using normal‐strength concrete (fc′=5,000psi) increases deflections by as...