Urban Self-building Labour Cost Modelling In Cameroon

The critical housing shortage in some cities of developing countries such as Cameroon generates an ever-growing desire to increase the housing supply. Due to the complex legislature system of Cameroon, housing policies and high costs associated with the acquisition of housing from the formal sector, the majority of urban residents are resorting to what are termed “informal practices”, such as self-construction. This mode of housing provision, although diffcult, has become the dominant mode of housing provision within the construction sector of most developing countries. As an informal sector, practices are characterised by unclear accounting methods, including labour costing and by often-present sub-par management techniques, which lead to delays in the completion of some projects. To address these issues, a method of estimating labour cost based on a developed matrix model is presented in this paper. Through the introduction of a fnite dimensional vector space composed of standard tasks, the model presented directly relates the quantity of work to the labour cost. Application of this new approach to a case study in Cameroon shows how labour costs could be reduced by 37% compared to the simple matrix method examined by other researchers

Coupling BIM and game engine technologies for construction knowledge enhancement

Interactions and collaboration between parties in construction projects are often characterised by misunderstandings and poor information exchange. Game engine technologies, when employed with building information modelling (BIM), can help address these shortcomings. Quite often, the visualisation capabilities of BIM models are not explored fully partly because of their limited interactive capability. While game engines are powerful in visualisation and interactions in the gaming industry, the literature suggests a lack of understanding of the applicability of the same in construction. This study investigates the potential of the use of game engines in construction practice which culminated in a framework that can guide the implementation of the same in enhancing interactive building walkthroughs

POTENTIAL USE OF COLTAN MINING WASTE ROCK IN ROAD CONSTRUCTION

The mining industry produces vast quantities of mine refuse, including waste rock and tailings, which pose a significant environmental problem. Mining residues, which are generated during ore extraction and mineral processing, are typically deposited near mines. This method of mine waste disposal can lead to environmental problems and land loss. This fact has prompted research into the utilisation of sediments as alternative materials to produce backfill and paving materials. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) possesses approximately 80 % of Africa’s coltan reserves, which is geologically unsustainable considering its many mineral resources. When coltan is extracted, geologically heterogeneous debris spanning from fine particles to boulders is produced. The purpose of this study was to analyse the potential value of mine tailings in road embankments using coltan waste rock from the eastern DRC as a case study, in accordance with the French standard. To accomplish this, it was necessary to evaluate the coltan waste rock’s chemical, mineralogical, and geotechnical properties. The coltan mining waste rock studied (SS1,i, SS2,i, and SS3,i) were found to be naturally clayey in nature, with characteristics for use in road construction. However, stabilised at 60 % by the SS4, classified as sand according to the Laboratoire Central des Ponts et Chaussées (LCPC) classification, the SS1,i, SS2,i, and SS3,i clayey waste rock possess the necessary characteristics for sub-base course materials

POTENTIAL USE OF COLTAN MINING WASTE ROCK IN ROAD CONSTRUCTION

The mining industry produces vast quantities of mine refuse, including waste rock and tailings, which pose a significant environmental problem. Mining residues, which are generated during ore extraction and mineral processing, are typically deposited near mines. This method of mine waste disposal can lead to environmental problems and land loss. This fact has prompted research into the utilisation of sediments as alternative materials to produce backfill and paving materials. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) possesses approximately 80 % of Africa’s coltan reserves, which is geologically unsustainable considering its many mineral resources. When coltan is extracted, geologically heterogeneous debris spanning from fine particles to boulders is produced. The purpose of this study was to analyse the potential value of mine tailings in road embankments using coltan waste rock from the eastern DRC as a case study, in accordance with the French standard. To accomplish this, it was necessary to evaluate the coltan waste rock’s chemical, mineralogical, and geotechnical properties. The coltan mining waste rock studied (SS1,i, SS2,i, and SS3,i) were found to be naturally clayey in nature, with characteristics for use in road construction. However, stabilised at 60 % by the SS4, classified as sand according to the Laboratoire Central des Ponts et Chaussées (LCPC) classification, the SS1,i, SS2,i, and SS3,i clayey waste rock possess the necessary characteristics for sub-base course materials

Integration and interoperability for the optimisation of information flow in construction project lifecycle

Integration and interoperability are paradigms that have been proposed to alleviate challenges associated with data exchange between systems for managing construction project information. However, with the overwhelming number of emerging software in practice, their performance vis-à-vis integration and interoperability especially from a lifecycle perspective is yet to be fully explored. This study investigates the use of emerging ICT in the optimisation of information exchange across the lifecycle of a construction project. A quantitative approach was used to achieve the aim of this study. The first main finding of this study is that BIM is the most integrated and most effective technology when compared with other technologies. The second most important finding is the fact that most professionals will consider exchanging data at the developed design-technical design and technical design-construction phases

4D BIM for Construction Logistics Management

This study presents an investigation into the extent to which emerging building information modelling (BIM) can be applied to construction logistics management (CLM). Given the specialist nature of the domains, the study employed an in-depth qualitative interview, whereby six experts were interrogated about their experiences of BIM for CLM. The study found the main applications of BIM on CLM to be the creation of three-dimensional (3D) site layout plans and four-dimensional (4D) coordination of site processes and common user plant, updating the 4D logistics plan as the project progressed and collaboration in BIM-based logistics coordination. Furthermore, there was a consensus amongst interviewees on improvement in site safety, comprehension of logistics information, efficiency on site, and effectiveness of layout planning as the main benefits. Lastly, the lack of training with implications on understanding was one of the main barriers to applying BIM to CLM. The findings from this study have the potential to stimulate the uptake of BIM by construction logistics practitioners. By so doing, the performance construction project delivery can be improved, and waste can be minimised or eliminated