Conference papers

ITC-Euromaster Course Pool for AEC Engineers

Alan Hore — Thu, 16 May 2013 01:00:45 PDT

The paper describes the ITC-Euromaster Course Pool. It is a concept that powers e-learning environment for conducting an international Master’s level programme in information technologies for Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC). The e-learning environment integrates resources (units of study, learning management system, virtual classroom, teachers and students) from five European universities. In the paper following aspects of the system are presented: concept and methodology of the Course Pool, technology for e-learning and evaluation results.

Solving the Problem of Toxic Property and Construction Loans- the Case of Ireland's National Asset Management Agency.

Thomas Power — Thu, 16 May 2013 00:55:46 PDT

Ireland experienced rapid economic growth between 1994 and 2004. This economic performance prompted the Economist magazine to coin the phrase ‘The Celtic Tiger’ to describe the Irish experience. However, during the ‘boom period’ banks did not have enough funds from deposits and had to rely on the inter-bank market for funds. Consequently with the collapse of the sub-prime market and the global banking crisis, the banking systems reliance on inter-bank lending resulted in toxic property and construction loans. In essence the property/construction bubble burst, the banks are broke and there is a need to rescue them. The government’s solution is to take these ‘toxic’ assets off the banks balance sheets via the National Asset Management Agency (NAMA).

An Examination of the Potential of Building Information Modelling To Increase the Efficiency of Irish Contractors on Design and Build Projects

Charles Anthony Mitchell et al. — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 07:20:36 PDT

Competition between Irish contractors is more aggressive than ever before. In the current economic climate an ability to construct with greater efficiency could ensure a company’s survival. The purpose of this research was to determine the extent to which efficiency benefits could be realised by contractors on design and build projects as a result of implementing a revolutionary process referred to as Building Information Modelling (BIM). After a critical analysis on all aspects of BIM in the literature review, questionnaires were sent to establish the success of this system in the US and also in the comparatively few Irish firms that have more recently pioneered the adoption of BIM. In-depth interviews with two well established Irish firms were conducted to gain an understanding of the challenges and myriad factors that positively or negatively affect efficiency due to the use of BIM. In compiling the results from these interviews and surveys , it was apparent that the use of BIM does indeed result in increased efficiency from pre -construction to the final execution of works. The results highlighted efficiency benefits through a reduction in man -hours, requests for information and rework, a greater capacity to use more pre-fabricated elements and an increase in on-time completions.

A Transverse Examination of Occupational Stress Among a Cross Disciplinary Population of Irish Construction Professionals

Myles Keaveney — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 01:15:37 PDT

The effect of occupational stress upon managerial and professional staff is increasingly being realised and studied. This paper presents the findings of a recent postal survey of 94 Irish Construction Professionals to evaluate the incidence and causes of occupational stress. 70% of the re spondents considered that their work was having an adverse effect on their family and 55% believed that it was affecting their health. 40% have considered early retirement because of severe occupational stress, which appears to be a growing blight on Construction Professionals. The research found, not unexpectedly, that Site Managers had the most stressful roles, followed by Contracts/Project Managers and the Contractor’s Quantity Surveyors. The 4 main stressors identified were (a) volume of work, with associated time pressures, (b)administrative duties, (c) long working hours and (d) inadequate flow of communications. The research programme found that an encouraging number of Construction organisations had implemented measures to alleviate the causes of stress - these ranged from team-building exercises to specific stress-awareness programmes. An attempt was made to evaluate these initiatives, but it was found that few were really effective. Hence recommendations are put forward in this paper as to how stress management techniques might more usefully be applied to reducing occupational stress in the traditionally hardy, ‘macho’ culture of the construction industry. The present practice of “presenteeism”, whereby insecure employees work longer andlonger hours to impress bosses and gain promotion is certainly not the answer.

Developing a Standard Approach to the Value Engineering Process for the Civil Engineering Industry: A Theoretical, Case Study and Industry Perspective.

Charles Anthony Mitchell — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 00:55:30 PDT

The original Value Engineering process developed in North America in the late 1940‟s, was primarily based on functional analysis. However; the North American Value Engineering process was not adopted in Europe. Instead various mixed methods were assembled under the umbrella term of Value Management. Nowadays there is much debate about what Value Engineering is and how is it defined? This question arises in part due to there being no standard approach in Europe as a whole in undertaking ValueManagement or Value Engineering exercises.With this in mind, Masters level research was undertaken from three perspectives (theory, case study and industry). The research revealed in consistencies between the theoretical perspective and the two other perspectives. To address these inconsistencies; it is proposed that perhaps, it is now time to revert to the original North American Value Engineering process of function analysis, with the addition of the constraints triangle (time, cost, quality). Perhaps this is the best starting point in developing as standard approach to the Value Engineering process in Europe. To understand if these inconsistencies are Europe wide or unique to the Irish market, the author intends to undertake PhD research with his present employer Ferrovial Agroman, on a Cross Rail contract in the UK.

Leveraging Whole Life Cycle Costs When Utilising Building Information Modelling Technologies

Barry McAuley et al. — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 06:30:32 PDT

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is now being increasingly used as a technology tool to assist design professions in conceiving, designing, constructing, and operating the built environment in many countries. The BIM model provides design professions with the framework to perform exercises in design, programming, cost and value management, and concept energy analysis, in order to achieve the most economical and sustainable building solution. The BIM model though sophisticated is not extensively used to provide estimation software with the data requirements for Life Cycle Costing (LCC), such as, escalation of future expenditure and/or present value costs, discount rates, and study periods. Without incorporating LCC functionality within the BIM model or in an external application with a BIM interface a complete picture of the Whole Life Cycle Costs (WLCC) cannot be generated from the outputs of the model. The authors demonstrate the potential ability to customise traditional estimating packages with BIM take-off and database management interfaces, in order to find the best solution to provide complete Whole Life Cycle Costs Analysis (WLCCA). A template was produced in consultation with one of the internationally established methodologies in Life Cycle Costing (LCC) and provides the user with the financial tools to select the most economical advantageous solution, possibly without investing in new estimating software.

The application of COBie to Increase the Functionality of Existing Software

Barry McAuley et al. — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 01:40:28 PDT

Building Information Modelling (BIM) can provide a focus on collaboration between the designers, constructors and facility management (FM) personnel leading to major efficiencies in the operational and maintenance phase of a building. The information within a model can be extracted at various stages throughout the project life cycle using the Construction-Operation Building Information Exchange (COBie) schema that provides an open framework for the exchange and delivery of construction handover information. However, it is then up to the FM software companies to take the information and display it in a user friendly way. The authors have set about enhancing an established FM software package, which more efficiently transfers the equivalent of multiple documents. This gives the user a front end view of all of the information that has been captured over the construction period, resulting in the FM having all of the information available at their fingertips in a visualized database, which greatly assist the operational maintenance of built assets.

The Management of Built Heritage: A Comparative Review of Policies and Practice in Western Europe, North America and Australia

Tracy Pickerill et al. — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 04:20:28 PST

Building on Pickerill’s (2002 & 2007) work in North America and Western Europe, this paper compares funding mechanisms, stakeholder involvement and area based heritage conservation models from Western Europe and North America with those of Australia. More specifically, the domain of enquiry considers Pickerill’s bifurcated model of the new governance of financing for conservation which recognizes the duality of tool knowledge and design knowledge. Examples from practice in Europe, America and Australia provide an illustration of these mechanisms.

Addressing the Need to Reform Construction Public Procurement in Ireland through the Implementation of Building Information Modelling

Barry McAuley et al. — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 09:45:39 PST

The Irish AEC Sector is facing one of its most uncertain and challenging periods and will see major cuts in all areas of the economy in 2012. Despite this the Irish Government has announced a number of large capital expenditure investments which have resultantly become a lifeline to a struggling construction industry. In order to compete within the public works sector AEC businesses must operate within the Governments Capital Works Management Framework. The objectives of the framework include achieving cost certainty, value for money and more effective delivery and appropriate risk sharing. The framework remains an area of contention and it has yet to be seen if it has provided a more efficient way of doing business. In order for the Irish Government client to procure more cost effective projects and achieve an estate that is smarter and better equipped to face a low carbon future, it is recommended by the authors, that the Irish Government move towards the mandatory use of Building Information Modelling on public works projects. The data collation methodology for this paper included an in-depth questionnaire survey that was compared with two international industry reports, from recent CITA BIM Workshops, that explored setting an aligned top down strategy and the cultural, process change management, required for BIM Implementation. Despite the general understanding that BIM could play a key role in reforming the Irish public procurement sector, it is highly unlikely the Irish Government will implement BIM in the short term due to other more immediate priorities that require attention in the Irish AEC sector

An Empirical Investigation of Strategic Planning in QS Practices

Roisin Murphy — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 01:50:31 PST

The benefit of engaging in strategic planning has been well documented over several decades of strategic management research. Despite the significant body of existing knowledge in the field, there remains a limited collection of empirically tested research pertaining to strategic planning within professional service firms (PSFs) in construction, particularly from an Irish context.

The research is an exploratory study involving in-depth, semi-structured interviews and a widespread survey of Quantity Surveying (QS) practices in Ireland. The aim of the research is to ascertain the extent of strategic planning undertaken within Irish QS practices, and to gain an insight into the characteristics of the strategic planning process therein.

The findings show that the strategic planning process varies within QS practices and is correlated to practice size and ownership structure. Despite the absence of a systematic process in smaller QS practices, evidence suggests that principals are thinking and acting strategically. They confirm that a more systematic strategic planning process is beginning to emerge, particularly in light of the severity of the current economic and construction sector downturn in Ireland. This paper draws on existing literature in the field, as well as research findings to propose a strategic planning process model for PSFs within construction.

World Heritage in a Changing Climate; the Potential for a Global Laboratory

Caithleen Daly — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 04:10:23 PDT

This paper presents ongoing research, partly undertaken on behalf of ICOMOS Ireland’s Sub-Committee on Climate Change and the Department of Environment Heritage and Local Government, into the effects of climate change on World Heritage (and proposed World Heritage) in Ireland. World Heritage sites in Ireland have been key to the formation of a cutting edge climate change monitoring project. The outlined monitoring scheme should form a legacy for the future, producing quantifiable data over the coming century, vital in the assessment of climate change impacts on cultural heritage. In turn this will enable the development of appropriate and sustainable management practices in terms of climate change impact mitigation and adaptation at sites.

A Reflection on the Development, Activities and Deliverables of the Construction IT Alliance (CITA) in Ireland

Ken Thomas et al. — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 03:42:53 PDT

This paper reflects on the development, activities and deliverables of the Construction IT Alliance in the Republic of Ireland. This alliance was formed in 2001 with the vision of harnessing the potential of information and communication technologies in the Irish construction sector. CITA is a prime example of academia-industry-government collaboration in Ireland. A key driver in the development of CITA is the need to increase the extent of IT knowledge within the Irish construction sector. Membership of CITA includes leading architectural, engineering, surveying, management, construction, supplier, IT and academic organisations. The leading academic institutions in CITA are the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) and the Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT). CITA has also received the backing of the Department of the Environment and Local Government (DoE&LG) and the influential Forum for the Construction Industry (FCI). The structure and work of other similar bodies, particularly Construct IT in the UK, were taken into account in the development of CITA. CITA activities include the development and maintenance of a website; the hosting of bi-annual members meetings with expert guest speakers; and the formation and encouragement of Special Interest Groups (SIGs) to address particular issues.

Developing a Cloud Integrated Life Cycle Costing Analysis Model Through BIM

Alan Redmond et al. — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 05:46:20 PDT

Advancing interoperability between design team applications has been a major challenge for advocates of open standards. The buildingSmart alliance and Open Geospatial Consortium Inc in the U.S. have developed and implemented an Architecture, Engineering, Construction, Owner Operator, Phase 1 Testbed that streamlines communications between parties at the conceptual design phase to establish an early understanding of the tradeoffs between construction cost and energy efficiency. The results of this Testbed combined with an on-going collaborative R&D project ‘Inpro’ co-funded by the European Commission to identify business and legal issues of Building Information Modeling in construction were used as theoretical propositions underlying a 2010 Delphi survey. This paper presents the results of one questionnaire of that overall study. It is anticipated that these results will contribute to (i) identifying the most appropriate applications for advancing interoperability at the early design stage, (ii) detecting the most severe barriers of BIM implementation from a business and legal viewpoint, (iii) examining the need for standards to address information exchange between design team, (iv) exploring the use of the most common interfaces for exchanging information, and (v) investigating the industry’s perception on whether the development of a Cloud based BIM Life Cycle Costing would be of significant use to the Irish and UK construction industry. The rationale for this research is to refine the results of the initial questionnaire, AECOO-1, and Inpro R&D projects in order to determine if a prototype based on developing a cloud integrated LCC model through BIM could be generated in the UK and, Ireland and if so, what would be the legalities of implementing such a project.

Advancing the Use of BIM Through a Government Funded Construction Industry Competency Centre in Ireland

Alan V. Hore et al. — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 05:46:19 PDT

The main aim of this paper is to develop the early case for a new Competence Centre dedicated to industry led research in the Irish construction industry. It incorporates the results of a survey carried out by the Construction IT Aliance (CITA) and also identifies similiar centres carrying out industry led research around the world. Results from the survey show a clear support for the establishment of such a centre in Ireland and, in particular, a strong interest in Building Information Modelling (BIM) as a immediate priority research area. BIM is having a profound effect worldwide on the construction industry. The development and adoption of BIM technologies is in parallel with other major changes relating to project procurement approaches, such as Integrated Project Delivery (IPD), and the general sustainability agenda. Although slow to take off in Ireland to-date, BIM is becoming extremely relevant in other countries, with over 50% adoption in the United States and an average of 36% in Europe. The authors argue that a government funded Competence Centre will facilitate the Irish construction industry in re-establishing itself, domestically and internationally as a competitive entity.

Finding a Middleware ICT Solution for the Irish Construction SME Sector

Alan V. Hore et al. — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 05:46:18 PDT

A key feature of the Irish construction industry is its fragmented structure. Some 16,000 businesses list their main activity as construction, yet no company has more than 3% of the total Irish output. The top 20 companies have less than 15% of total output. There is a very high number of Small to Medium Sized Enterprises (SME‟s) in the sector. However, most software products which address the specific needs of the construction industry are designed for larger companies. It is felt that the needs of the large number of SME‟s in the sector are underserved. The Construction IT Alliance (CITA) under is Enterprise Innovation Network (EIN) programme has launched a programme of meetings and discussions with SME‟S, and their representative bodies in the industry to identify their particular information technology needs and their usage of currently available software products. It is proposed to undertake a programme designed to develop a viable product/services solution to address agreed information technology needs of the construction industry. This paper will report on the status of a strategy adopted by CITA to progressively evaluate and refine ideas, and ultimately identify the Information Communication Technology (ICT) product offering for its SME members

Cloud Computing and its Application in the Irish Construction Industry

Alan V. Hore et al. — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 05:46:17 PDT

The significance of Irish Small to Medium Size Enterprises (SMEs) being more effective and efficient with eBusiness solutions in the construction industry has never been more evident than in today’s global economy. Through the development of a strong and proactive network the Construction IT Alliance (CITA) hope to create a platform for implementing the use of eBusiness in the SME community. This network will provide SME companies with a direction on how to improve their efficiency and effectiveness through the use of technology. At present CITA has identified a potential business solution that would make construction software more accessible by SMEs. Open Source Software (OSS) has the ability to increase productivity and reduce capital expenditure and production costs. This solution offers SME companies the opportunity to streamline their fragmented operations by implementing the best applications available to the industry through the use of service providers on the World Wide Web. The SME community would now have the ability to use on-demand applications that were previously only the domain of large enterprises.

Development of a Cloud Solution for SMEs in the Irish Construction Industry

Alan V. Hore et al. — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 02:14:00 PDT

There is a strong emerging trend within the Information Communication Technology (ICT) sector for replacing traditional packaged desktop applications with Web based, outsourced products and services. The drive for this innovative solution is its contribution to enabling software to be developed, delivered and consumed in discrete chunks (known as services) liberating the users from traditional computing and providing services accessible across a range of devices and appliances. The objective of this paper is to report on the progress towards defining this Web based service, commonly known as ‘Cloud computing’, for Small to Medium Size Enterprises (SMEs) in the Irish construction industry. The authors will present the results of a Construction IT Alliance (CITA) Enterprise Innovation Network (EIN) marketplace survey that combined vendor and consumer attitudes. This paper will also act as recommendation for the future development of a re-engineered software solution that will utilise the benefits of Web services in the Irish construction industry

Building Support for Coud Computing in the Irish Construction Industry

Alan Redmond et al. — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 01:43:36 PDT

The construction industry has been traditionally recognised as a fragmented sector associated with a poor level of implementation and penetration of Information Communication Technology (ICT) by Small to Medium Size Enterprises (SMEs). Cloud computing is a collective term that can facilitate the ability to collaborate within a central repository that can act as a base for interoperability between various construction disciplines and their software applications. Cloud computing is a new layer of internet architecture that creates an open opportunity to add better functionality to an increasingly global network. The characteristics of cloud computing, such as, shared infrastructure, on-demand applications, elasticity and consumption-based pricing, allows all disciplines in the sector to benefit. This paper will present the findings of a survey carried out by the Construction IT Alliance (CITA) in Ireland, as to the drivers, barriers and preferred procurement options for delivery of cloud computing services within the construction SME market in Ireland

Creating a Software Marketplace for the SME Community in the Irish Construction Industry

Alan V. Hore et al. — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 01:40:21 PDT

The Construction Industry is a sector where Information Communication Technology (ICT) and e-Business are used to a lesser extent than in most other sectors. The high concentration of Small to Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the industry and the typical nature of the service provided, being an on-site and often highly customised service are generally identified as the reason for the low ICT uptake. The majority of Irish companies in the construction sector are SMEs. E-Business has provided the construction SME industry the opportunity to compete globally. The Construction IT Alliance (CITA) has identified a programme that can create a digital SME community that will promote ICT software. In creating this community CITA will be able to provide the construction industry in Ireland with an ICT software service deployed from a centralised data centre. This ICT concept commonly referred to as „Cloud Computing‟ will enhance CITA‟s services in providing ICT uptake to the wider Irish construction industry

Creating a Digital SME Community in the Irish Construction Industry

Alan V. Hore et al. — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 01:40:19 PDT

The Construction Industry is a sector where ICT and e-business are used to a lesser extent than in most other sectors. The high concentration of SMEs in the construction industry and the typical nature of the service provided in construction, being an on-site and often highly customised service are generally identi-fied as the reason for the low ICT uptake. The majority of Irish companies in the construction sector are SMEs. It is essential that Irish companies become more effective and efficient with eBusiness technologies in order to compete in the global economy. The Construction IT Alliance in Ireland has identified a project pro-gramme that will promote Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) in the Irish Construction Industry and research SMEs needs to develop a strong eBusiness environment and ultimately create a digital solution that will best suit their needs