The design of a green roof depends on client requirements, both in terms of cost and  aesthetics, but also climate  and weather-related.

In Santiago de  Chile, Sika builds for a Mediterranean climate in which most rainfall occurs in the winter months followed by  very dry season. “The actual building process is a team effort that closely involves the customer” says Juan Francisco Jimenez, General Manager,  Sika Chile.

Typically the process has these basic steps:

• Evaluation of the supporting structure.
• Waterproofing with the most efficient system for the climate,
• Thermal insulation if necessary
• Plant selection by a specialist with consideration of maintenance requirements.

A semi-extensive green roof would typically have cultivation depths of about six inches with different kinds of plants including flowers, ground-creeping plants and shrubs, which would cost a client on everage about $75 per square meter.

A layer of insulation, a separation layer, waterproofing membrane, such as Sarnafil F610-12, a drainage composite, such as Sika Drenaje 32, growth medium and vegetable would follow.

Extensive green roofs have a narrower range of herbs, grassses, mosses and drought-tolerant succulents such as sedum, which are known for their tolerance for extreme conditions.

“Chile’s varied geography and climate zones (warm in the north, temperate/moderate in central and cold in the south region) strongly influence green roof design” says Jimenez. “Our task is to provide architects with the technical assitance they need to work in different climates and find new ways to enhance and oxygenate our cites”.

]]> http://civilengineerlink.com/build-green-roof/feed/ 1 http://civilengineerlink.com/introduction-construction-management/ http://civilengineerlink.com/introduction-construction-management/#comments Wed, 03 Mar 2010 08:01:36 +0000 Civil Engineer http://civilengineerlink.com/?p=448

This is an introduction to Construction Management and Construction Manager Job.

1. What does a Construction Manager do

Construction managers do a lot in thinking and planning, making every project component organized. By outlining a project schedule, efficiency of time is regulated, making every event of delays, changes and disputes nil. Because construction managers do study existing situation, optimum use of worker skills are achieved, affecting a construction quality.

2.  Construction Management Definition

2.1 Construction Management is the practice of managing construction in place of the owner while also serving as the construction consultant to its design and other aspects within the project. Typically an overseer, construction managers direct, coordinate and brainstorm a wide variety of the construction projects, even the selection and hiring of contractors and finances. Although there are construction managers that do not directly control the actual structure construction, some others do extensive construction management that oversees the entire project.

Construction model involves two relationships of three parties. The parties involved are the project owners; the designers (usually compose of engineers and architects); and lastly the contractors and the builders. At first the project owner creates an idea then forwards it to the architects and engineers which in turn design the idea. Now as the design is completed, it goes back to the project owner to be reviewed. This relationship known as the owner-designer relationship involves a bit of planning mostly on design features and to some extent, aspects of constructions. After that, the owner now forwards the design to the contractor or builder who in turn reviews it and appraises forecasted expenditure. If the deal is agreed an owner-contractor agreement now exists between these two. Even though there could be some association between the contractor and designer, significant relationship for most part only exists between the contractor and the project owner.

2.2 Construction Management  is the study of construction in terms of its managerial and technological aspects. That includes but not limited to construction science, construction management, and construction risk. The study of construction management can be taken by several formats. The most common and better recognized is the scholastic degree which is available on courses associate, baccalaureate, and graduate degree. Other types of formats are the apprenticeship, on the job trainings and higher education. Because construction management degrees encompass an extensive range of subject topics that construction management course should be taken by majors as proposed by the American Council for Construction Education.

This article is just an overview of Construction Management. More detailed articles will be posted in soonest time.

One of  Civil Engineering hot jobs is Construction Estimator.

What does a construction estimator do

Construction estimators negotiate contracts and prepare estimated construction prices based on architect’s drawings, the amount of employees needed for the job and also the amount of construction materials required. A construction estimator takes responsibility for calculating quotes and proposals for the company  and making sure that these proposals offer a good return on investment for the employer.

Construction estimator’s resposibilities

Construction estimators can be responsible for estimating everything from the cost of construction equipment to how long the project will take to complete. All of these elements will be taken into account to calculate a final estimated figure for the cost of the project. Although much of the job is office based, estimators are required to liaise with architects, clients, surveyors and a whole range of construction staff. Visiting and negotiating with clients, colleagues and other key industry members can help you to accurately forecast construction costs.

Qualifications needed for Construcion estimator Job

Most employers look for construction estimators who have degrees in a relevant area which covers estimating skills such as construction management or construction science. During these courses or as a part of post graduate training, you should have the opportunity to gain in depth knowledge of the construction industry including construction materials, costs and procedures. Having a background or post graduate training in maths will also help you with the data analysis side of the job and allow you to make judgements based on the data you collect. Having advanced skills in computer data analysis is also important especially if you have worked with specific estimation software packages. Excellent communication skills are a must as you will interact with many different people at all levels in the industry.

Job Experience is an advantage for construction estimator job

If you have a background in a relevant degree then you should gain some experience from this however estimators receive a lot of training on the job, particularly as each business will have its own specific process for estimating. You will be likely to shadow an experienced estimator on the construction site and in the office and assist them with their work while you enhance your experience and learn new skills.

Development opportunities  with construction estimator career

If you want to stay in your existing role then development opportunities usually come in the form of opportunities to work on higher value and more prestigious projects, higher pay levels and progression into a more senior position. Other options include working on a freelance or temporary basis on long or short-term contracts.

Hope you can find interesting, potential and essential with your Construction Estimator Career.

1. Construction Site Accidents Prevention

Construction sites are the most hazardous environments than other workplace. So construction accidents likely happen more often than other working accidents. But construction accidents can be easily prevented by applying rigid and enforceable safety practices at all construction sites.

The general contractor and all subcontractors should be required to create and maintain a reasonably safe work site, with warnings of any dangers inherent in the site and the work to be done there. There should also be an emphasis put on the hiring of careful employees, with coordination of job safety as well as supervision to ensure compliance with all safety specifications. Additionally, all site workers should be adequately trained in the proper operation of all equipment on site and the site itself must be managed in keeping with all legal standards in order to prevent any construction sit accidents.

Even with precautions and adherence to safety practices, construction site injuries can still occur due to the inadequacy of these provisions. Accidents involving defective or collapsing scaffolds can result in construction site accident cases; falls off of or through roofing structures; electrocutions; falls off of ladders; defective machinery such as cranes, hoists, conveyors, tractors, and forklifts; malfunctioning construction equipment or other tools; and the collapse of floors or walls. The kinds of construction site accidents often result in serious injury and can sometimes even result in death. In fact, thousands of construction workers are injured or killed in construction site accidents each year.

2.  Construction Site Accidents Compensation

Virtually all significant injuries suffered in construction site accidents give rise to workers’ compensation rights. The Workers’ Compensation Act provides benefits to workers who are injured on the job. Unfortunately, Workers’ Compensation alone may be insufficient compensation especially in the case of very serious and catastrophic personal injuries which happen often in construction site accidents. The rights are dependent on the interpretation and application of several complicated laws and individual circumstances of the construction accident.

However, these limited workers’ compensation rights may be supplemented by legal actions against others who have responsibility for various activities on a construction site including construction managers, general contractors, subcontractors, equipment manufacturers, etc. When a construction site accident occurs, the owners, architects, insurance companies and manufacturers of equipment can be held responsible for inadequate safety provisions.

The construction contractors are responsible for the construction of various kinds of buildings and complexes. With any kind of building construction, there are numbers of risks involved with it including the equipment failure or site damage. This further can make the construction contractor liable for all the damages and losses happened. In situation like this, availing the construction contractor insurance can be of great help. This kind of insurance covers the damages, which affect the people and the building involved in the construction project.

The construction contractor insurance alleviates all the losses that may occur during the construction process. These generally include the material damages, where the erection and construction works are being insured, but can be extended to incorporate construction machinery, installation and equipment and also clearance of debris.

Severe injuries or fatalities resulting from site accident, damaging construction works: equipment malfunctions, explosions, quality standards, falls or slips and poor construction control are often covered under the construction contractor insurance.

The introduction of the Internet has made availing the construction consultants insurance easier and simple. The products accessible in this scheme include Public and Employers Liability Insurance, Professional Indemnity Insurance, IR35 Tax Protection Insurance, Business Equipment Insurance, Health and Safety Insurance and Personal Accident and Sickness Insurance.

Numerous skill areas covered within the Construction Contractors Insurance are assistant site managers, building site managers, construction managers, contract managers, document control, fire safety audits and health and safety consultants among the major ones. Several other skill areas covered include:

• Maintenance managers and operation managers
• Project managers and site engineers
• Site managers
• Structural engineers and technical engineers
• Estimators and electrical engineers
• Highways engineers and planning engineers

Your kind of construction contractor insurance can be obtained from the online insurance service providers. Whether it is discussing renewal terms or coverage options, the online construction contractor insurance will assist you to give your kind of cover. It is feasible to gather insurance quotes from various insurance providers prior to availing the best affordable construction contractor insurance.

Painting is the most common way to protect steel structures. Before carrying out painting work, surface preparation must be properly taken. Here after is surface preparation procedure for steel structure painting.

Steel surface treatment:

1. Welded areas shall be checked to verify any defects that may affect the protection quality of coating paint.
2. Sharp edges shall be grinded to be round, smooth. Other imperfect weld or slag shall be treated by grinding machine or sand paper.
3. Noncontinuous welding line shall be filled again by welding.

Surface preparation

1. Thoroughly remove oil and grease out of the surface using solvent or other proper methods.
2. Thoroughly remove all “evidence” of salt and contaminants.
3. Sand blast to achieve standard SA 2.5 (surface is free from oil, grease and other contaminants)
4. Remove all the remaining during blasting by brush, pressed air or vacuum cleaner. Avoid re-contamination caused by clothes or hand touching.
5. Sand blasting shall be taken from one area to another, so that cleaned areas must be rust preventive and painted immediately before getting rust again. Surface ready for painting must be completely clean. No oxidized or contaminated is visible.
6. Surface temperature is at least 3 degrees above the dew point to avoid water condensing. (Dew point is depended on surface temperature and humidity)
7. Areas that cannot reach with blasting nozzle or less important can be mechanically treated with grinding machine

Inspection and evaluation for steel surface preparation

1. Oil and grease check
Oil and grease check shall be carried out a 2-3 locations per square meter and in 40-50% out of prepared area, as following:
Drip some drops of gasoline onto checked area. Wait for 10-15 seconds then adsorb the remaining gasoline with a piece of filter paper. Drip some other drops of gasoline onto another piece of filter paper. Wait and check the two dry stains on paper by naked eyes. If two colors look the same the surface is accepted as free from oil and grease.
2. Dust check
Dust check shall be carried out on whole prepared surface. Use a magnifier with 6 times magnification to survey. No visible dust is okay.
3. Cleanness check
Dust check shall be naked eyes or a magnifier according to cleanness levels. It also can be checked by comparing to standard images in ISO 801-1:1998
Another method of checking: Before surface preparation, take a sample that meets the cleanness of requirements. Cover the sample with transparent coating. Use the sample as standard for control.

Fast check: Cleanness check can be quickly conducted by wiping the surface with a white dry clean cotton. If the cotton becomes dirty, the surface is not clean. If the cotton becomes wet, the surface is either still wet or not free from oil.

About the author: Do Nguyen Hung (hungsika) is a Senior Civil engineer. He is expert author on Civil Engineering and Construction Project Management.

INTRODUCTION
Nowadays Silica Fume is widely used for producing high durable concrete for structures particularly exposed to aggressive environments, such as marine structures.
It is combined with Ordinary Portland Cement OPC (or portland cement type I according ASTM C150) as a substitution for sulfate resistance cement (cement type V according ASTM C150) in producing sulfate resistance concrete.

PRODUCTION PROCESS

Silica Fume is a by product of the silicone and ferro silicone industry.
It results from the reduction of quartize to silicone using high quality charcoal in an electric arc furnace.

Furnaces rotate slowly round carbon electrodes. These create electric arcs deep in the furnace and hence the high temperature needed to produce molten silicon.
The off gas and air drawn in over the furnace is exhausted by large fans to the baghouse. The Silica Fume drop into filter bin and are conveyed to silos.
Silica fume particles average size is 0.1 micron. These particles are thus 100 times finer than a grain of cement.
By blowing air through the Silica Fume in the silo, the particles will touch other particles and adhere to them by surface forces. This is principle of densification for producing Densified Silica Fume, much more practical and easy to use in concrete.

SPECIFICATIONS FOR USING IN HIGH DURABLE CONCRETE

The requirements for used in concrete are generally given in terms of:
SiO2 content: minimum specified of 85%
SiO3 content: maximum of 1%
Loss on Ignition: maximum of 6%
Moisture Content: maximum of 3%

The SiO2 minimum content will limit the quantity of impurities and contaminants in the Silica Fume. The SiO3 is restricted to limit the expansion due to the formation of ettringite. Moisture content of Silica Fume living the furnace is generally negligible. The 3% limit is generous and is likely to be exceed with poor storage. The standard Specification for Use in Hydraulic Cement Concrete is ASTM C1240.

MAIN ADVANTAGES OF USE FOR CONSTRUCTION

The material has been used all over the world for many years in the area where high strength and durable concrete were required. A certain know-how is needed for making good concrete. Simply state, the fresh concrete must have a consistency such that it can be transported, placed and compacted by available site equipment without segregation.
The use in combination with superplasticiser (for improve the dispersion of cement and thus greatly reduce the water demand) has been specified worldwide for producing high quality concrete. This help to improve the characteristics of both fresh and hard concrete

About author: Do Nguyen Hung (hungsika) is a Senior Civil Engineer. He is expert author on Civil Engineering and Construction Project Management

Prefabricated construction is a building process in which elements or modules of the structure are prefabricated at plants, then transported to the construction site for installation. Using this method can reduce  the time of building, also saving construction cost. Prefabricated construction is now widely applied for new houses or other building structures like bridge, tunnels,  culverts, water supply system…

The benefits of prefabricated construction method is from the  fabrication of standard components on factory floor. This  production is less time consumption compared to actual condition of construction process. The prefabricated elements are transported to the site for installing process. At the site, the modules are unloaded, moved into position with the support of heavy cranes, and assembled to form a designed building.

Together with the fast assembly, prefabricated construction also saves a lot of money on the construction project. By using standard patterns, the building materials are saved at the manufacturing factories. This help to reduce the waste in formwork and other materials that can occur during traditional building procedures.

Another considerable  profit using prefabricated construction method is the energy efficiency. Because the prefab elements of a panelized home are precut, they fit snugly together, making for a tighter edifice. This means less effort for heating and cooling, resulted  in lower energy bills.

The rapid development of prefabricated houses has led to the increasing of construction templates that homeowners have more choice for designs of their houses. By combining these templates, it is possible to design the layout of the house, specify the dimensions of each room, and build a home that is exactly to the specification of the owners. There are also complex building plans for prefabricated construction that can be adjusted slightly and still have the benefit of using materials of standard lengths, widths, and textures.

Prefabricated houses are not the only type of construction structures that can be produced using prefabrication construction method. As mentioned above, this method is widely used in many types of constructions like bridges, culverts or even swimming pools.

Definition of Construction Project Management?

Construction Project Management refers to the practice of administration construction projects in place of the title-holder while furthermore serving as the construction project consultant to its design and other aspects surrounded by the construction projects. Typically an boss, construction project managers preside over, coordinate and dream up a large variety of the construction project projects, even the selection and hiring of contractors and finances. Although here are construction project managers with the intention of sort out not frankly control the real organize construction project, approximately others sort out extensive construction project management with the intention of oversees the full construction project.

Construction Project Management furthermore refers to the study of construction project in stipulations of its managerial and technological aspects. That includes but not restricted to construction project science, construction project management, and construction project expose. The study of construction project management can be taken by several formats. The generally ordinary and better recognizable is the school degree which is unfilled on courses frequent, baccalaureate, and graduate degree. Other types of formats are the apprenticeship, on the job trainings and privileged education. Because construction project management degrees include an extensive range of theme topics with the intention of construction project management way must be taken by majors as projected by the American Council pro Construction Education.

The repayment of Construction Project Management?

Construction managers sort out a ration in thinking and planning, making each construction project element methodical. By outlining a construction project schedule, efficiency of calculate is regulated, making each event of delays, changes and disputes nil. Because construction project managers sort out study existing circumstances, optimum aid of hand skills are achieved, distressing a construction project quality.

This book teaches you how to take a project from start to finish and, using your own techniques and management style, complete the project. Whether you work as a project manager or have a bunch of unfinished projects on your plate, Project Management Made Easy! will help you.

1) This book will help you whether you have a project that you are trying to complete that is daunting or are in charge of projects at work. If you look at every task as a chore, you can learn how to manage them much easier with the skills taught in this book.

2) Instead of worrying about how you are going to complete a project, you can do so easily when you use this book. You will learn how to use your own personality to its fullest with the tools in this book.

Project Management Made Easy Ebook – Table of Contents:

Chapter 1. Introduction

Chapter 2. Creating a Project Management Methodology

Chapter 3. Where does  the buck stop?

Chapter 4. Can you manage your self out of a paper bag

Chapter 5. Setting the stage for a successful project

Chapter 6. The importance of Developing and Maintaining a Budget

Chapter 7. Taking action – Execution of a Plan

Chapter 8. Rules  to Manage by…

Chapter 9. Your personality and Project Management Style

Chapter 10. The cycle of Decision Making

Chapter 11. Getting your project back on track

Chapter 12. Keep in moving

Chapter 13. Problems and Solutions

Keep browsing to download Project Management Made Easy! ebook.

If you are ready to enhance your career opportunities and are interested in construction management jobs, an online degree in construction management can be achieved on a very flexible schedule that works for you and your time commitments. You can take classes at night and on the weekends and complete tests online when it works for you – all in the comfort of your own home. You can even specialize your online degree in construction management by selecting construction management courses focused on topics like financial management, site planning, contract administration, cost estimating and engineering or architectural sciences.

Construction project management has become an increasingly popular career choice for those graduating from college today. This is partly because the industry has started to recognize how invaluable solid project management for construction sites is – especially considering the growing complexity of major construction projects and the many laws that must be taken into account. The people who are hired into construction management jobs are ultimately responsible for the entire project’s success or failure, which is why the not only requires a specialized degree, but also exceptional interpersonal communication and management skills.

Although these types of jobs can be complicated, they also have a fairly high level of compensation. A traditional or online degree in construction management can help qualify you for positions that pay as much as $63,000 per year, which was the industry average for those jobs in 2008. When you couple that with on-the-job construction management training, your earnings potential can increase dramatically as you move up the company ladder into higher-level positions. To help fast track your career, you could also search out a part-time apprenticeship or internship while you are still working toward your online degree in construction management.

If you are ready to start your search for the best undergraduate program offering an online degree in construction management, you can start by researching what online universities offer variations of the degree. One important piece of criteria is that the school you choose for your online degree in construction management must be an accredited online university. This essentially means the school has been evaluated by an independent committee to determine that the curriculum, staff, facilities and technology are up to current university standards. It also means that you should be able to easily transfer your credits to another university (if need be) and that all companies requiring a traditional or online degree in construction management for new hires will recognize your degree.

Original Article Construction Management Online Degrees

Antiwashout underwater concrete is an underwater concrete that has improved resistance to segregation as a result of adding an antiwashout admixture. Antiwashout underwater concrete (or underwater antiwash concrete) shall have the required strength, durability, compactness, and ability to protect steel materials, and the scatter in quality shall be small. Also, the concrete shall have a workability suitable for the placing operation and shall not cause water pollution.

As in the case of ordinary concrete, antiwashout underwater concrete should have the desired strength and durability, as well as the capacity to protect steel materials from corrosion. However, when a large unit water content is needed to obtain the required fluidity, i.e. greater than 200 kg/m3, the amount of cement as determined from the water-cement ratio sometimes exceeds 400kg/m3. It is therefore necessary to thoroughly examine not only the fluidity and strength needed for the structure, but also the temperature rise due to heat of hydration and whether it is proper to use various admixtures, etc. Furthermore, since the final quality of the concrete depends not only on fluctuations in the quality of the materials and measurement errors, but also on the effects of underwater drop height, underwater flow distance, and water currents in the area of construction, consideration should also be given to these points. That is, the final quality of antiwashout underwater concrete is greatly affected by the construction conditions as well as the materials used and the mix proportion, so it is important that these factors be comprehensively considered if a structure of the required performance is to be obtained.

There are a variety of types of antiwashout admixtures, such as those based on the cellulose system and the acrylic system. Also, the degree of antiwashout property and flow property differs depending on the brand of antiwashout admixture, even though the main Ingredient may be the same.

It is thus important to comprehend the performance of the antiwashout admixture to be used using available reference materials, as well as to confirm that the required quality can be obtained by conducting tests in advance using the chosen materials.

Quality control in construction typically involves insuring compliance with minimum standards of material and workmanship in order to insure the performance of the facility according to the design. These minimum standards are contained in the specifications described in the previous section. For the purpose of insuring compliance, random samples and statistical methods are commonly used as the basis for accepting or rejecting work completed and batches of materials. Rejection of a batch is based on non-conformance or violation of the relevant design specifications. Procedures for this quality control practice are described in the following sections.

An implicit assumption in these traditional quality control practices is the notion of an acceptable quality level which is a allowable fraction of defective items. Materials obtained from suppliers or work performed by an organization is inspected and passed as acceptable if the estimated defective percentage is within the acceptable quality level. Problems with materials or goods are corrected after delivery of the product.

In contrast to this traditional approach of quality control is the goal of total quality control. In this system, no defective items are allowed anywhere in the construction process. While the zero defects goal can never be permanently obtained, it provides a goal so that an organization is never satisfied with its quality control program even if defects are reduced by substantial amounts year after year. This concept and approach to quality control was first developed in manufacturing firms in Japan and Europe, but has since spread to many construction companies. The best known formal certification for quality improvement is the International Organization for Standardization’s ISO 9000 standard. ISO 9000 emphasizes good documentation, quality goals and a series of cycles of planning, implementation and review.

Total quality control is a commitment to quality expressed in all parts of an organization and typically involves many elements. Design reviews to insure safe and effective construction procedures are a major element. Other elements include extensive training for personnel, shifting the responsibility for detecting defects from quality control inspectors to workers, and continually maintaining equipment. Worker involvement in improved quality control is often formalized in quality circles in which groups of workers meet regularly to make suggestions for quality improvement. Material suppliers are also required to insure zero defects in delivered goods. Initally, all materials from a supplier are inspected and batches of goods with any defective items are returned. Suppliers with good records can be certified and not subject to complete inspection subsequently.

The traditional microeconomic view of quality control is that there is an “optimum” proportion of defective items. Trying to achieve greater quality than this optimum would substantially increase costs of inspection and reduce worker productivity. However, many companies have found that commitment to total quality control has substantial economic benefits that had been unappreciated in traditional approaches. Expenses associated with inventory, rework, scrap and warranties were reduced. Worker enthusiasm and commitment improved. Customers often appreciated higher quality work and would pay a premium for good quality. As a result, improved quality control became a competitive advantage.

Of course, total quality control is difficult to apply, particular in construction. The unique nature of each facility, the variability in the workforce, the multitude of subcontractors and the cost of making necessary investments in education and procedures make programs of total quality control in construction difficult. Nevertheless, a commitment to improved quality even without endorsing the goal of zero defects can pay real dividends to organizations.