Context guided retrieval

This paper presents a hierarchical case representation that uses a context guided retrieval method The performance of this method is compared to that of a simple flat file representation using standard nearest neighbour retrieval. The data presented in this paper is more extensive than that presented in an earlier paper by the same authors. The estimation of the construction costs of light industrial warehouse buildings is used as the test domain. Each case in the system comprises approximately 400 features. These are structured into a hierarchical case representation that holds more general contextual features at its top and specific building elements at its leaves. A modified nearest neighbour retrieval algorithm is used that is guided by contextual similarity. Problems are decomposed into sub-problems and solutions recomposed into a final solution. The comparative results show that the context guided retrieval method using the hierarchical case representation is significantly more accurate than the simpler flat file representation and standard nearest neighbour retrieval

The practice of risk management by cost consultants in Northern Ireland

This research endeavoured to explore the practice of risk management by cost consultants in Northern Ireland. It attempted to subjectively investigate the cost consultant’s appreciation of risk management practices and then further appraise the cost consultant’s understanding and usage of the theories and techniques available to manage risk under the risk management framework. A case study based approach involving five consultancy practices was adopted. A series of semi structured interviews (one per each case study) was carried out. The data collected was analysed using the Delphi technique. The practice of risk management for each organisation was documented using an analysis and evaluation of project documentation substantiated with interviews. The research indicated that consultants have a broad awareness of risk management but disparity exists on considering it as a core service. All consultants were unequivocal in identifying the need for an improved risk management framework. It was evident that there was a lack of knowledge of the array of risk identification and analysis techniques available. The research has established that there is a severe need to bridge the void between the theories and techniques used to manage risk and those which are implemented in practice. There is a necessity to train consultants in the practice of risk management and educate clients in the benefits of enforcing risk management practices as an integral part of project delivery

Investigating the status of disaster management within a world-wide context: a case study analysis

Disasters can be described as feats of spontaneous occurrences, in that they can happen at any minute at any time. There are two classifications of disasters, which are, natural disasters that cannot be predicted and continuously occur throughout society. While the other classification of disaster is that of man-made disasters, where disasters are caused not by natural phenomena, but by man's or society's actions, involuntary or voluntary, sudden or slow, with grave consequences to the population and the environment (Hays, 2008). Both these types of disasters can be controlled to a certain extent through appropriate disaster management plans and if managed efficiently have the potential to reduce the likelihood of overwhelming loss of lives and property. The Disaster Management cycle is split into four elements of response, recovery, mitigation and preparedness which contribute to emergency protocols of a nation when disaster strikes. Therefore, nations should incorporate them in their development plans and ensure efficient follow-up measures at community, national and international levels. This paper investigates worldwide disasters in order to examine how these disasters were managed and to identify the lessons learned. It provides an analysis of five worldwide case studies of recent disasters (Tsunami in Sri Lanka, Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, Earthquake in Pakistan, Summer floods in the UK and Flooding of the West-Link in Northern Ireland) mapping those to the four staged disaster management cycle. The paper analyses in detail the strategies adopted at each stage of the cycle comparing strengths and weaknesses of each case. It concludes that there had been satisfactory progress in both response and recovery phases but more attention is needed for disaster mitigation and preparedness

Identification of key process areas in the production on an e-capability maturity model for UK construction organisations

Uptake of e-procurement by construction organisations has been slow (Martin, 2008). Positive e-business achievements in other industries, point towards the potential for the construction industry to accomplish similar results. Since the Modernising Government White paper set targets through best value indicator BV157 for implementation in the public sector, Government has supported many initiatives encouraging e-procurement. These are based on documented efficiency and cost savings (Knudsen, 2003; Minahan and Degan, 2001; McIntosh and Sloan, 2001; Martin, 2008). However, Martin (2003, 2008) demonstrates only a modest increase in the uptake of e-procurement in the UK construction industry. Alshawi et al (2004) identified the significance of possessing a model to sustain the embedment of any business process within an organisation. Saleh and Alshawi (2005) describe a number of model types used to gauge maturity in an organisation. One of these models is the capability maturity model. Paulk et al (1993) released the Software Capability Maturity Model (CMM) in 1991. Since then many CMM’s have evolved. This paper reports on how a CMM based on Drivers and Barriers to e-procurement identified in Eadie et al (2009) can be developed to gauge the maturity of an organisation in relation to e-procurement. This paper presents details of a research project which used factor analysis to produce a set of Key Process Areas (KPA) from the drivers and barriers identified in Eadie et al (2009). These KPAs were then subjected to a mapping process linking them to maturity levels to develop a CMM to analyse the e-procurement capability of construction organisations. The mapping will be reported in a later paper. This termed as e-readiness of organisations will indicate the current state of a construction organisation in terms of its readiness to carry out e-procurement. The paper describes in detail the identification of the KPA’s

Educating the global citizen in sustainable development: the influence of accreditation bodies on professional programmes

It is estimated that over 50% of UK CO2 emissions arise from the buildings and industry sector. Globally construction is estimated to be the world’s largest employer with 111 million employees. The Built Environment sector is therefore a major economic player with significant environmental, social and economic influence across the globe. Pressure on Built Environment degree curriculum partly comes from the professional bodies, with whom a large proportion of the School of the Built and Natural Environment’s programmes are accredited. Accreditation is in many cases a requirement in order for graduates to practice their profession while in others it is not a requirement but an expectation. As a result, accreditation is vital to the marketability of School degree programmes. This paper discusses the key competencies within professional accreditation requirements for three case study subject areas within the School. Through this case study analysis it was found that all three accreditation requirements analysed referred to the accepted three pillar model of sustainability (see for example Kates et al (2005); van Zeijl-Rozema et al (2008); Mackelworth and Carić (2010)). Guidance in all three disciplines referred further to ethics and social responsibility. However, the three professional body accreditation guidelines differ in the prescribed quantity, and the detail of guidance, on sustainability criteria. In ensuring compliance with accreditation guidelines, the three subject areas have taken differing approaches across a continuum. The authors consider that the approaches taken, and the extent to which sustainability criteria are explicit or implicit within the curriculum, are in part influenced by the pedagogic approaches typical of the subject discipline

An in-depth analysis of e-procurement use in UK construction organisations

Eadie et al (2007) show that there are many advantages in the adoption of e-procurement within a construction organisation. However, its uptake within the construction industry has been inadequately researched. Martin (2003, 2008) investigated e-procurement use across quantity surveying organisations in United Kingdom. However, the picture is not complete as other disciplines within construction are not considered. This paper seeks to address this issue. Martin (2003, 2008) does not seek to identify the sizes or spend on procurement activities by those quantity surveying organisations who have adopted the use of e-procurement. This paper investigates the correlations between size, procurement spend and adoption of e-procurement. A survey was conducted in two parts: the initial survey looked at 70 contractors in Northern Ireland which had carried out e-procurement. This was followed by the main survey, which contained a telephone survey followed by a web-based survey. The telephone survey of 775 organisations identified the amount of e-procurement in construction within the United Kingdom. This was followed by a web-based questionnaire survey of the identified organisations on e-procurement for construction based activities. These produced a breakdown of e-procurement use and spend on completion of pricing documentation across the construction industry

Alignment of professional, academic and industrial development needs for quantity surveyors

The academic, professional and training needs of Quantity Surveyors are pulled by different stakeholders in different directions. Academics are interested in producing a rounded graduate with the basic foundation in knowledge for further development whereas professional bodies are interested in graduates capable of progression to full professional status through the achievement of the required core competencies (RICS, 2009). The industry is looking for a graduate who can straight away contribute to the growth and daily functions of business activity. Hence, there is a three directional pull on the development needs of the Quantity Surveyor (QS). The present education system of the QS does not recognise these multi-directional needs and hence often produces a graduate whom the industry sees as not fulfilling their requirements. This leads to many problems with greater levels of employer and graduate dissatisfaction and obstacles to early career development of the QS graduate. This research aims at investigating the changing development needs of Quantity Surveyors within a post recession industrial environment that satisfies the aspirations of industrial, professional and academic stakeholders. The paper will present the initial findings of the research based on a series of stakeholder interviews examining RICS competencies and academic curricular

Analysis of the use of e-procurement in the public and private sectors of the UK construction industry

Summary: Eadie et.al (2010a, 2010b) identified 20 advantages in the adoption of e-procurement within a construction organisation. The Glover report (2008) indicated that by the end of 2010 all public sector procurement should be electronic. The use of e-procurement within the construction industry has been inadequately researched. Martin (2009) examined quantity surveying organisations perspectives on the use of e procurement across the United Kingdom. This paper seeks to address the knowledge gap that exists in the analysis of the level of usage of e-procurement within the construction industry. It compares the findings for the construction industry with other industries on company size and spend. Martin (2009) does not seek to investigate the size or spend on procurement activities of those quantity surveying organisations who have adopted e-procurement. This paper investigates the correlations between size, procurement spend and adoption of e-procurement in construction organisations comparing it with other industries. It concludes that the findings of Griloa and Jardim-Goncalves (2010) and European Commission (2007) were correct in suggesting that the AEC sector has been lagging behind other sectors in the adoption of e-procurement and provides a breakdown of the different types of organisations who currently use e-procurement. It further identifies the size of organisations which have implemented e-procurement within construction. On the client and consultant side in traditional contracts, company sizes of 21-50 employees make the highest use of eprocurement. This confirms that when analysing according to the size of organisation, construction organisations perform in a similar way to other industries as reported in Batenburg (2007) and Gunasekarana and Ngai (2008). However, this study indicates that very small companies may still be put off by the costs of software (corroborates De Boer et al, 2002; Kauffman and Mohtadi, 2004). The study proposes the types of construction organisation most likely to be utilising the benefits of eprocurement in construction by procurement spend and size. It also indicates that the deadlines in the Glover report (2008) relating to e-procurement in construction are unlikely to be met

Energy simulations of a transparent-insulated office facade retrofit in London, UK

Purpose – Transparent insulation materials (TIMs) have been developed for application to building facades to reduce heating energy demands of a building. The purpose of this research is to investigate the feasibility of TI-applications for high-rise and low rise office buildings in London, UK, to reduce heating energy demands in winter and reduce overheating problems in summer. Design/methodology/approach – The energy performance of these office building models was simulated using an energy simulation package, Environmental Systems Performance-research (ESP-r), for a full calendar year. The simulations were initially performed for the buildings with conventional wall elements, prior to those with TI-systems (TI-walls and TI-glazing) used to replace the conventional wall elements. Surface temperatures of the conventional wall elements and TI-systems, air temperature inside the 20mm wide air gaps in the TI-wall, dry-bulb zone temperature and energy demands required for the office zones were predicted. Findings – Peak temperatures of between 50 and 70°C were predicted for the internal surface of the TI-systems, which clearly demonstrated the large effect of absorption of solar energy flux by the brick wall mass with an absorptivity of 90 percent behind the TIM layer. In the office zones, the magnitude of temperature swings during daytime was reduced, as demonstrated by a 10 to 12 h delay in heat transmission from the external façade to the office zones. Such reduction indicates the overheating problems could be reduced potentially by TI-applications. Originality/value – This research presents the scale and scope of design optimisation of TI-systems with ESP-r simulations, which is a critical process prior to applications to real buildings