Reference no: EM132333935

Planning the Structural Cycle

Learning outcomes covered

1. Describe the concepts and functions of management using location-based planning and control methods and comparison with activity-based approaches.

2. Apply relevant principles and theories for location-based planning and control, including lean approaches to construction management.

4. Use appropriate tools and techniques for location-based planning and control.

5. Formulate and/ or specify suitable strategies, methods and tools/ techniques for managing in the project-based engineering industries.

This assignment is designed to introduce you to a combination of issues that are VERY likely to be encountered in a reasonably complex construction project. This assignment will require understanding of the planning and scheduling a typical construction cycle, and then progress reporting and progressive forecasting.

Due to the effort involved in this project, it will be necessary to work in pairs (= 2 people). However, each student will submit their own separately identifiable work.

Stage 1: Planning in CPM and LBM

The project requires the planning of the structural cycle of a twin residential building block project in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia.

Both buildings comprise nine levels and have similar layout. The floor plan and elevations are shown below. Each level comprises of 8 units. (attached)

You will explore construction using one of the following methods (to be allocated to you):

1. A precast structure including precast lift core, precast columns, beams and slabs, with structural grouting and finish screed,

2. A composite structure consisting of cast-in-situ lift core and precast columns, beams and slabs, with structural grouting and finish screed,

3. A totally cast in-situ concrete structure,

4. A steel frame building with precast core, precast floors with structural grouting and finish screed, or

5. A steel frame building with cast in-situ core and cast in-site floors.

Only the typical structural activities required for producing a smooth concrete floor need to be scheduled and monitored. And it may be assumed that the work commenced from an already constructed ground floor slab with any relevant cast-in bolts, services, starter bars, etc. already in place. The final top slab should be a normal floor slab, there is no need to schedule roof work.

By working in pairs:
• one student shall work in CPM (using any available CPM software such as MS Project),
• the other shall work in LBMS (using Vico Schedule Planner),
• both students will prepare a comparison and summary of the two parts.

The project to be scheduled shall require nine repetitive floors of 1200m2 per floor and will be built in zones.

The pairs will develop a structural cycle for their building. This will then be scheduled in CPM by one student and in LBMS by the other. These schedules will probably not match each other (because of the different technology), but should be an attempt to make them the same.

Warning: DO NOT import the CPM schedule into the flowline schedule. This will result in an unusable schedule and will lose many marks.

When scheduling, use a standard 5-day working calendar and ignore holidays. Start this stage of the project on 1st February, 2020.

Stage 3: Summary report

Each student shall prepare a summary report, no more than two pages to describe the advantages of their method (either CPM or LBMS) compared to the other method for scheduling, monitoring and progressively forecasting the project end-date. Please note that this stage requires good understanding of the other student's work and the other method.

Notes:
You are required to
- Familiarise yourself with the principles and methods of monitoring and control using literature
- Familiarise yourself with CPM and LBMS methods and software
- Create a construction project typical structural cycle
- Save/print your report as a PDF file and name it starting with the name of the assessment (monitoring and control) followed by your student ID, name the schedule files as your student ID

Attachment:- Planning the Structural Cycle.rar