With the threat of global warming and the gradual depletion of petroleum supplies, solar electric power is rapidly becoming a significant part of our energy mix. The range of solar cells spans ...different materials and different structures in the quest to extract maximum power from the device while keeping the cost to a minimum. Devices with efficiency exceeding 30% have been demonstrated in the laboratory. All subjects are presented from the fundamental level to the highest level of current research. This book includes subjects such as energy related environmental problems, solar collectors, solar water heating, solar space heating and cooling, industrial process heat, solar desalination, photovoltaics, solar thermal power systems and modeling of solar systems including the use of artificial intelligence systems in solar energy systems modeling and performance prediction.
Our study of the London Olympics 2012 construction programme showed that systems integration is one of the major challenges involved in delivery of a complex – “system of systems” or array – project. ...Organizations cope with complexity by decomposing a project into different levels of systems integration with clearly-defined interfaces and buffers between levels and individual component subsystems. At the “meta systems integration” level, an organization has to be established with the capabilities to understand the total system of systems, manage external interfaces with the multiple stakeholder sand coordinate the integration of its component parts. At the “system integration” level, efforts are made to manage each individual system as a loosely-coupled, relatively self-contained subsystem with defined interfaces to coordinate interdependencies with other parts of overall array. Establishing processes to maintain stability whilst responding dynamically to uncertain and changing conditions is one of the most challenging aspects of systems integration.
•Managing projects•Managing programmes•Managing organization•Engineering and construction
As a revolutionary technology, terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) is attracting increasing interest in the fields of architecture, engineering and construction (AEC), with outstanding advantages, such ...as highly automated, non-contact operation and efficient large-scale sampling capability. TLS has extended a new approach to capturing extremely comprehensive data of the construction environment, providing detailed information for further analysis. This paper presents a systematic review based on scientometric and qualitative analysis to summarize the progress and the current status of the topic and to point out promising research efforts. To begin with, a brief understanding of TLS is provided. Following the selection of relevant papers through a literature search, a scientometric analysis of papers is carried out. Then, major applications are categorized and presented, including (1) 3D model reconstruction, (2) object recognition, (3) deformation measurement, (4) quality assessment, and (5) progress tracking. For widespread adoption and effective use of TLS, essential problems impacting working effects in application are summarized as follows: workflow, data quality, scan planning, and data processing. Finally, future research directions are suggested, including: (1) cost control of hardware and software, (2) improvement of data processing capability, (3) automatic scan planning, (4) integration of digital technologies, (5) adoption of artificial intelligence.
Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry is classified as a huge consumer of natural resources. It consumes 50% of natural material resources, 40% of energy and is responsible for ...50% of total waste. Subsequently, different sustainability indices and environmental certifications have been introduced to AEC. As a result, most construction firms turn to green building designs and acquire different environmental certifications. Recently, the concept of lean management has been introduced to AEC after succeeding in manufacturing. This paper aims at examining the interaction between lean and sustainability principles on the management process of design and construction projects. Towards achieving this aim, two approaches were employed, namely literature review, and a correlation matrix to verify the area of interaction between both lean construction and sustainability principles. Findings took the form of guidelines for AEC companies to help in applying the integrated lean and sustainability principles on managing design and construction processes.
Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) is the interdisciplinary engineering field devoted to the monitoring and assessment of structural health and durability. SHM technology integrates remote sensing, ...smart materials, and computer based knowledge systems to allow engineers see how built up structures are performing over time. It is particularly useful for remotely monitoring large infrastructure systems, such as bridges and dams, and high profile mechanical systems such as aircraft, spacecraft, ships, offshore structures and pipelines where performance is critical but onsite monitoring is difficult or even impossible. This is the first comprehensive textbook to provide background information, theoretical modeling, and experimental examples on the principal technologies involved in SHM. It not only provides students, engineers and other interested technical specialists with the foundational knowledge and necessary tools for understanding modern sensing materials and systems, but also shows them how to employ this knowledge in actual engineering situations.
BIM (building information modeling) is a kind of technology that has great potential to enhance the level of automation in architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) projects. The created ...virtual model of the facility allows coordinating all industries during the entire life cycle of the building. The possibility to save the data related to the given facility in one place, namely in the BIM model, enables control and management of the AEC projects at every stage. During the design and implementation phase, BIM models facilitate the optimization of time, costs, and quality, and in the operational phase, they support effective management of the facility. The use of BIM for building energy modeling (BEM) is the next step of evolution in architecture and engineering design practice. The benefits of using the BIM approach are widely discussed in the literature; however, they may be hard to achieve if appropriate attention is not directed to minimizing the barriers to the implementation of this technology. Observing Europe, one can notice that western and northern countries successfully use BIM for their needs, while the countries of the Eastern Bloc, including Poland, introduce it at a slower pace. In the present paper, the authors conducted a cause-and-effect analysis of the identified barriers to the implementation of BIM technology in the construction process. For this purpose, the authors applied the Ishikawa diagram, which is a tool that helps to recognize the actual or potential causes of failure. The analysis conducted showed that one of the weakest links in the successful BIM implementation is people and, in particular, their lack of knowledge and reluctance to change. The authors indicated the need to introduce and strengthen preventive actions, mainly through education: training, courses, and studies focused on BIM technology.
This volume contains a selection of papers submitted to the 4th International Conference on Building Materials and Construction (ICBMC 2019, February 25-28, 2019, Singapore) and the 2nd International ...Conference on Materials Design and Applications (ICMDA 2019, April 13-15, 2019, Tokyo, Japan). The conference proceedings present recent advances in the field of building materials, concrete structures, ductility, crack resistance, fatigue, fracture mechanics, materials properties and technologies of materials processing.
Lack of innovation and productivity in the construction industry compared to other industries is often explained by the institutionalised roles and fragmented nature of the construction value chain. ...Closer connections and collaboration (such as strategic partnerships) among architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) companies and across the values chain is often prescribed as a strategy to improve the performance of the construction industry. However, the institutional roles of AEC companies and their archetypical business models serve as important reference points for the sector. How these business models interact, and the friction created when they come in close contact is not well researched and understood. This paper identifies business models archetypes for architect, engineer, contractor and materials supplier based on workshops and interviews with practitioners. Friction is identified in and between the business models of AEC companies engaging in strategic partnerships. The analysis shows that architect archetypes face friction with regard to their profit formula and could benefit from profit sharing. The engineering archetypes face friction in their processes since they have to coordinate with specialists from other companies. Contractor and supplier archetypes face friction in their profit formula since the open books force them to alter business practices.
Government actors, public agencies, industry and academics have struggled to change the rules of the existing business ecosystem to support the networked practices that were envisioned back in the ...1980s with the introduction of building information modelling (BIM). Despite the industry's far-reaching technological capabilities, BIM has primarily assumed productivity improvement by individual firms, which has not lead to a systemic change in the Finnish architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) business ecosystem. A field study of the Finnish AEC industry has resulted in a critical understanding of why successful and intensive R&D at a national level and wide adoption of BIM technology in Finland has not led to the expected systemic evolution of its AEC business ecosystem. Additionally, a methodology based on inductive grounded theory and historical analysis has been used to capture and identify the evolving and dynamic relationships between various events and actors between 1965 and 2015, which, in turn, has aided in the identification and characterisation of the knowledge and innovation ecosystems. The research findings provide insights for BIM researchers and governments in terms of establishing new policies that will better align BIM adoption with the systemic evolution of business practices in the AEC business ecosystem.
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