Paved With Good Intentions: The Realities of “Safe” Versus “Free”

Government-initiated landmine and unexploded ordnance clearance policies often dictate unrealistic standards and goals that differ from the practical reality of landmine/UXO removal. The end use of the land, as well as the variables of munitions deterioration due to aging and environment, and the level of expected risk should be considered in landmine/UXO policy-making

A Fresh Approach to Road Clearance Operations

UXB International has employed a combined approach to clearance activities in the Temporary Security Zone (TSZ) between Eritrea and Ethiopia. The author discusses how his organization uses this unique method of mine clearance

A Proposal for Re-engineering the Procurement of Building Materials by Effective use of ICT

This paper seeks to establish the case for re-engineering the procurement of materials in the Irish construction industry. The authors make their observations from witnessing, first-hand, the operation of a purchasing function in a large contracting organisation in the Republic of Ireland. The authors identify the core problems that exist in the current mainly paper-based process and present a strong case for the re-engineering of the process by the adoption of a fully integrated Information Communications Technology (ICT) solutio

The Benefits of Deploying IT in the Material Procurement in Ready Mix Concrete in the Irish Construction Industry

The current methods of processing orders, deliveries and invoices of concrete products in the construction industry is enormously inefficient, with vast quantities of paperwork, duplication of effort, scanning, re-keying and resolving mismatches between purchase orders, delivery dockets and invoices. This paper sets out results of a survey which reveals attitudes to Information Communication Technologies (ICT) in supporting the purchasing process in construction. The drivers and barriers to ICT use in construction purchasing is discussed from both the contractor‟s and supplier‟s perspective. The paper goes on to describe the outcome of a pilot study in which the efficiencies are investigated arising from using available technology to provide proof of delivery. The response of site personnel in using this technology is discussed, together with lessons learned in the pilot study. Arising from the survey and pilot study results, a proposal is made to re-engineer the procurement process, taking into account the available technologies. The re-engineered solution seeks to achieve an integrated three-way electronic match of the purchase order, delivery note and supplier invoice. Suggestions are made as to the benefits of introducing such an integrated system in the Irish construction industr

From Roadmap to Implementation: Lessons for Ireland’s Digital Construction Programme

As part of their Future of Construction initiative in 2018 the World Economic Forum published an action plan to accelerate Building Information Modelling adoption. The WEF report highlighted actions that companies, industry organisations and governments are advised to implement to accelerate BIM adoption and better capitalise on delivering better project outcomes. According the authors of the report BIM is seen as the centrepiece of the construction industry’s digital transformation, however they acknowledged that BIM adoption globally remain slow. Anecdotal experience would suggest that BIM usage in Ireland is also very low and that a similar initiative or an adaptation of the WEF BIM Adoption Circle would be applicable to driving the digital transition programme in the Irish construction industry. This paper highlights the actions that companies, industry organisations and governments are advised to implement in order to contribute to the acceleration of BIM adoption. The authors document the results of a consultative survey of representative stakeholders in Ireland in mid 2019. This survey was designed to investigate the relevance of some twenty seven specific actions identified by the WEF to drive digital transition in the Irish construction industry

Centres of Excellence and Roadmaps for Digital Transition: Lessons for Ireland’s Construction Industry

Like most sectors in today’s working world, construction businesses are challenged to work in an increasingly digitised world with sophisticated demands from intelligent clients. So much has been written about the inefficiencies of the construction industry, its fragmentation, lack of collaboration, low margins, adversarial pricing, poor productivity, financial fragility, lack of research and development, poor industry image and relatively weak use of digital solutions. The Irish government recognises the importance of digital innovation to address many of the challenges the construction industry faces. With recent high profile reports of escalating spend on signature public sector projects and weak productivity performance in the sector, the Irish government is seeking out new strategies that will help create improved value for money for publically funded projects including stimulating economic growth and competitiveness in the sector. One such approach is the creation of a new Centre of Excellence for digital construction to help encourage both the government and industry to work together to create a more agile and innovation-rich sector, create jobs and improve project outcomes for public sector projects. In this paper, the authors will examine the current context surrounding this recommendation, in particular the vision of Ireland’s National BIM Council to instigate the formation of a national central resource to support the rollout of digital tools and processes in Ireland. This paper serves mainly as a relatively highlevel early desktop study that will document the missions and activities of particular international exemplars of such centres. The paper also seeks to potentially influence representative groupings in Ireland that have been charged with the responsibility of recommending to the Irish government the likely implementation model and funding mechanism that will help drive a sustained transformational programme for the Irish construction industry. The authors did not seek to consult with these stakeholders directly in preparation of this paper given the ongoing consultations at governmental level taking place in mid-2019

BIM in Ireland 2019: a Study of BIM Maturity and Diffusion in Ireland

In 2017, the BIM Innovation Capability Programme team applied five macro BIM maturity conceptual models to capture the capability of the Irish construction industry and assess its BIM maturity. The results found that while Ireland is mature for modelling processes, it is less developed with regards to collaboration processes and policies. Ireland also ranked poorly when it came to regulatory frameworks, measurements and benchmarks compared to a number of countries which also applied the same conceptual models. At the time, the findings highlighted that Ireland’s diffusion dynamic was middle out, meaning that larger organisations or industry associations were pushing the BIM agenda and not the government, which had primarily chosen a passive approach with little or no assertive activities. The results also showed that the educational institutes had a much higher BIM diffusion compared to policymakers. Since the initial findings of the macro BIM maturity study, the Irish government has endorsed many initiatives, such as the announcement of a strategy to increase the use of digital technology in crucial public works projects, as well as contributing to the Digital Construction Transition Roadmap 2018-2021. As a result of Ireland\u27s growing market for BIM and the recent public sector requirements, it was decided to reapply the five macro BIM maturity conceptual models to investigate if this has impacted on Ireland’s BIM diffusion dynamic and levels. The results will be complemented through a selection of research initiatives which the researchers have undertaken to further establish Ireland\u27s BIM maturity in 2019. It is hoped that the results from this exercise will inform the Irish government and AEC sector of the key requirements to ensure wider adoption of BIM in Ireland

Developing Key Performance Indicators to Measure the Effectiveness of Early Facilities Management Performance on BIM Governed Public Sector Projects

Governments across the globe are now recognising the need to take steps to better manage their property portfolios due to the escalating costs of operating these buildings over their lifetime. This has seen them turn towards innovative work practices and technologies offered by Building Information Modelling (BIM). It is now becoming increasingly evident that BIM can bring significant added value to the design, construction and most importantly to the operational life of a public sector development project. This experience has resulted in a number of governments moving towards implementing BIM for all public works projects. BIM allows the building to be designed collaboratively within a unique integrated environment which aims to produce a more rewarding and cost efficient building for the end-user. Despite enhanced Facilities Management (FM) being the goal of this collaborative BIM approach, there is still a reluctance and a lack of perceived benefits of having the Facility Manager involved earlier in the design phase. Some of the reasons for this is a clear lack of metrics to quantify the contribution that the Facility Manager can provide at the early design phase. This paper will detail a new process, in which the Facilities Manager will operate as a key professional at an early stage and further suggest a unique set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to measure the effectiveness of their contribution. The data collation methodology includes the use of data from a number of public sector pilot projects and extensive surveys that have been scientifically analysed through thematic analysis to establish common themes and trends. These common themes represent some of the key areas where the Facilities Manager can have the greatest effect when introduced into the construction team. It is hoped that the research findings will support the business case for the adoption of a more robust FM process for the public sector, facilitated by the use of a suite of unique KPIs

BIM Innovation Capability Programme: an Irish BIM Study

In 2011 the Royal Institute of Architects Ireland (RIAI) conducted a survey which found that BIM adoption within Ireland was quite low at 16%. Over the last five years these figures have risen significantly, with the 2016 Irish Digital Transition Survey reporting that 76% of respondents possess confidence in their organisation’s BIM skills and knowledge. This represents a significant shift of BIM adoption in Ireland over the last five years. The BIM Innovation Capability Programme (BICP) Irish BIM study, builds on the findings from the BICP Global BIM Study by providing an in depth review of BIM in Ireland with regards to key government publications, BIM champions, existing standards and procurement routes, BIM training programmes, current initiatives and maturity within public and private sector projects

Design and Manufacture of a precast PCM enhanced concrete cladding panel for full scale performance monitoring

The overall aim of this study is to develop innovative precast cladding panels for the renovation of Europe’s existing building stock thereby improving their energy performance. Using the mass of a building to store heat and/or cold can reduce the demand on the auxiliary heating and/or cooling systems and hence reduce the overall energy demand of the building. Previous laboratory research has shown that the incorporation of phase change materials (PCMs) into concrete enhances its thermal storage capacity by up to 50%. However in a real application where a PCM-concrete composite material is used in a building to store thermal energy, the effectiveness of the PCM depends on many variables including the form of construction and local climate conditions. In this research study a precast cladding panel formed with PCM enhanced concrete has been developed and manufactured. In order to observe the performance of the PCM-concrete composite panels in a full scale scenario, three demonstration huts have been constructed and instrumented to record internal thermal behaviour. Monitoring of the data is ongoing and shows that the effectiveness of the PCM varies with the seasons. Data recorded during the summer period highlighted that the internal temperature may not drop low enough during the night to solidify the PCM and discharge the stored heat. A further test in which passive ventilation was provided during the night proved to be an effective method of addressing this issue. It is expected that this long term study will enable recommendations to be made on the seasonal benefits of using PCM-concrete to enhance the energy performance of buildings located in climate conditions similar to Ireland. The results of the data analysis will inform a refinement of the panel design prior to installing the panels at a school in the UK which currently has an overheating problem