Is technology a new challenge for the field of construction management?

The central theme in Construction Management (CM) and CM research is improving\ud the performance of construction industry. Much effort and thought is given to improving\ud project performance. Within CM there is a natural inclination to focus on projects\ud and project management (PM). Companies in the construction industry also see project\ud management as their key competence. Both have little appreciation for technologies\ud other than those that support project management tasks. Technology – other than\ud PM support – is often seen as an outside resource that is "contracted in". By taking\ud such a neutral position regarding technology, CM and construction companies not\ud only disregard the potential of these technologies, but also fail to notice the adverse\ud effects when new technologies are "contracted in". This paper argues that CM as well\ud as companies in construction can gain by reconsidering their stance towards technology.\ud This argument is built on the case of road construction – in particular the asphalt\ud paving process. The case shows that development of the new technologies and the development\ud of the skills and operational practice of the people that are expected to use\ud the technologies are not in harmony. Projections for the upcoming decade indicate a\ud sharp rise and proliferation of SMART technologies – this too for the construction industry.\ud Construction companies need to take a more proactive and involved stance\ud towards these technologies to be able to reap the benefits. If not, then the gap between\ud technologies and construction will grow and the risks for the companies increase with\ud it. CM and CM research needs to address this gap, support the introduction of new\ud technologies and the synchronisation of new technology development and the development\ud of skills and working. If it fails to do so CM and CM research will struggle to\ud maintain its meaningful contribution in the improvement of the construction industry

Hot mix asphalt - the "Paving under sub-zero temperatures" experience

Rijkswaterstaat’s recent “Asfalteren onder het vriespunt (Paving under sub-zero\ud temperatures)” provided an interesting research opportunity for the Asphalt Paving Research and Innovation (ASPARi) unit. The participating contractors both chose to adopt ASPARi’s Process Quality improvement (PQi) methodology to monitor their paving and compaction work. This presented a number of challenges for the construction teams and presented an opportunity to compare the operational strategies employed by the two contractors. The conditions at the time of construction were the same for both contractors; and the goals and objectives were the same given RWS’s requirements. It would therefore be interesting to see whether the approaches to construction would be the same. The results show that whilst the contractors used similar equipment and introduced several innovations to counter the effect of the cold conditions, the adopted operational strategies and approaches are different. From a\ud research perspective, the main challenge was being able to deal adequately with\ud monitoring two construction teams simultaneously and being able to organise\ud sufficient resources and personnel within the 48-hour window after the “Frost-Go” notice was given

Developing a real-time process control system for asphalt paving and compaction

Asphalt construction is a complex process filled with variables that influence asphalt quality significantly. Process parameters such as the temperature of the asphalt mat and compaction consistency need to be measured and observed using high accuracy sensors. Analysis of the sensor-derived temperature contour plots (TCPs) and compaction contour plots (CCPs) (available for the last decade) has suggested asphalt quality also linked to operator's behaviour, where his decisions mainly based on tacit knowledge. To eliminate 'blindness' of asphalt team about construction process itself, we consider to provide operators with essential data in appropriate way in real-time. This paper presents the solution of developing a real-time process control system for asphalt paving and compaction. We explore current solutions, which are utilized in hot-mix asphalt pavement, and estimate the main set of drawbacks and benefits of them. Our analysis further revealed the strong need in real-time system. Providing data and visuals to the asphalt team in real-time is a complex task, demanding great effort in terms of system and software development. The results of such development need to be considered in future studies of monitoring systems for asphalt pavements

The asphalt paving process: plans for action research

Recent significant changes in public sector procurement in the Netherlands are\ud forcing road construction companies to professionalize one of their primary\ud processes: on-site asphalt paving. This paper describes an initiative aimed at\ud improving quality in the process. A literature review confirmed that research into the asphalt paving process seems to be in a state of infancy. Interviews with on-site plant operators confirmed that operational choices in the asphalt paving process depend heavily on craftsmanship and that the work methods and equipment are mainly selected on the basis of tradition and custom. Also, the operators were reluctant to use new (available) technologies. Since improving the paving process requires integrating new technologies with the learning of new work methods, this paper proposes an action research strategy. Such an approach involves operators and researchers in addressing the apparent mismatch between current technology development, work methods and the operators' (tacit) operational strategies

Planning the asphalt construction process:Towards more consistent paving and compaction operations

This research addresses the challenge of linking paving and compaction given that they are mostly treated as detached activities, leading to a decrease in the quality of the compacted asphalt layer. The objective was to develop a support tool that can assist decision-making related to equipment allocation and compaction strategies to be followed, such that an asphalt layer- given the prevailing conditions at the construction site- can be compacted efficiently and uniformly within a limited time interval. A basic planning protocol was then developed based on variables such as asphalt cooling, paver characteristics, roller characteristics and road geometry. 12 road construction projects were monitored over a 3- month period. Empirical data on paver speed, roller speed and the number of roller passes served as input for the tool. The monitored projects were evaluated by calculating actual paver output and theoretical and actual roller output on an interval scale and checking whether the output rates were aligned to each other during the whole construction process. The results show that in most cases, paver output, roller output and the available time for compaction were not aligned. The theoretical concepts applied in this research and the developed support tool for decision making appear to be useful for planning and monitoring paving and compaction and for steering it towards a more uniform process. This may lead to an improvement in the quality of the final compacted asphalt layer