Applied Mechanics and Materials Vols. 174-177

Abstract: Different arrangements of contracts for construction are numerous and various, as are the titles and terms applied to them. To understand such arrangements often it is not enough to look only at the names; it is necessary also to examine the functions and who carries which risks.

Abstract: Cost management of construction project has experienced business accounting type, and control type management stage. But as the construction market becoming more mature, and the market-based products more competitive, now the cost management of construction project enters into the value creation management stage. If the construction enterprises only focus on target cost and responsibility cost management, it is difficult to carry out value creation effectively. This paper discusses how to adopt active incentive mechanism to encourage the agent to play initiative better and create more value under the circumstance of moral risk, determine the expected utility maximization parameters for construction project through the model optimization. This study found that incentive mechanism not only can make the agent more hard-working, but also is beneficial to improving the quantity of construction project. Finally, by providing numerical examples and analyzing the influence of variations of relevant parameters in incentive model, this paper has got comparatively satisfying results.

Abstract: Current situation and tendency of Agent Construction Management for Government Investment Projects (ACMGIP) are summarized in order to lay a sound foundation for normalizing the ACMGIP in China. Large amount of literatures are investigated, and related analysis, comparison, classification and summarization are carried out. Regarding to ACMGIP, the origin, evolution and definition are classified and summarized, as well as the problems encountered in practice are analyzed. Based on the mentioned works, five tendencies of ACMGIP are forecasted: (1) build whole range dynamic audit oversee mechanism; (2) form and complete management system of professionals; (3) change the agent into professionalized management complex; (4) reinforce contract management; (5) integrate ACMGIP with proper other project management mode.

Abstract: The paper presents a strategic decision model on the basis of artificial intelligence for construction enterprises. The model classifies the business of construction enterprises into four types and adopts a fuzzy inference system (FIS) to identify the type of business. The input values of the FIS are expressed in trapezoidal fuzzy numbers to deal with the uncertainty and subjectivity existing in estimating the input values. Similarity measure between fuzzy sets is applied to the FIS. The output of the FIS is a matrix with four elements, and the type of business can be identified according to the maximum element. The case study illustrates the feasibility of this model. In conclusion, the analysis way mentioned in the paper explores a new idea to strategic management of construction enterprises.

Abstract: Numerous new construction and demolition and relocation projects in China associated with the rapid economic development have produced a large amount of construction and demolition (C&D) waste, which urgently calls for better and more efficient management. The generation of C&D waste is associated with the waste management on construction sites. Since many factors influence C&D waste management, it is necessary to make in-depth study of them in order to realize efficient C&D waste management. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the Critical Success Factors (CSFs) of C&D waste management in China. To address the issue of C&D waste management, the authors chose the building construction projects in the Pearl River Delta of China as the survey object. We conducted a questionnaire survey and semi-structured interviews with practitioners (e. g. , supervision engineers and structural engineers), researchers, and government officials for tackling C&D waste management. Based on the survey and the interviews, we identified Six CSFs for managing C&D waste: (1) C&D Waste Management Regulations; (2) Awareness of C&D Waste Management; (3) Low-waste Construction Technology; (4) Fewer Design Changes; (5) Research and Development in C&D Waste Management; and (6) Vocational Training in C&D Waste Management. These CSFs can serve as valuable references for building project actors to develop effective C&D waste management strategies. This research also provides information to reduce environmental pollution coming from C&D waste.

Abstract: Steel tubular scaffold with couplers formwork support is a key item in construction，there are accidents. Some actual problems of the construction scheme in drafting, examination and construction process were analyzed. The solutions in thinking and measures are put forward, the execution of the technical and organizational management is the key to security problem.

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to provide an ideal multi-project selection method.The influence factors of the contractors project selection are analyzed according to the characteristics of engineering general contracting enterprises(EGCE) multi-project management.The evaluation index system of EGCE multi-project selection is build by expert advice and the method of research papers retrieved.The index system is divided into 4 levels, and includes 27 indicators in six areas.A based on multi-level gray relational analysis comprehensive evaluation model is proposed to evaluate the priority of the projects.The evaluation method may help EGCE choose the projects to meet their own development strategies.

Abstract: This article begins with a brief overview of the characteristics of railway transportation projects,then raises the value management theory can be used to control the cost of the project design Stage.Followed by analysis of the Value Management theory, It emphatically analyzes options and functional analysis of the value management for railway transportation project, Finally, The case explanations the useing of value management in the railway transportation projects design Stage .

Abstract: The construction organization usually takes the Critical Path Method (CPM ) used in the mathematics graph theory, which is a kind of classic system engineering analysis method, was introduced to China by Hua Luogeng – a mathematician, and originally called the Overall Planning Method. This method has been widely applied in various fields of the national economy, especially in the construction field; of course the Overall Planning Method itself has also been greatly developed. Though the Overall Planning Method is relatively mature, there are still a number of uncertainties (random factors) in the construction organization, and it is not easy to make a mathematical description for the Critical Path Method. This paper tries to use random linear programming in the construction organization.

Abstract: The direct application of the Theory of Constraints (TOC) to construction engineering, known as Critical Chain Management and Buffer Management (CCM/BM), has recently emerged as one of the most popular approaches to schedule management. However, the existing buffer setting techniques have less aken the activity attributes into account. In this paper, we introduce the concept of structure entropy to reflect the complexity of schedule network of construction project and propose a novel method for buffer sizing based on an in-depth analysis of activity attributes. After simulation test and comparison with classical methods, the proposed method is proved to have better accuracy and effectiveness.