Virginia State Capitol Research Proposal

Transcription

1 Virginia State Capitol Research Proposal This thesis research will look into four main areas of investigation. These topics include research methods, value engineering analysis, constructability review, and schedule reduction on the Virginia State Capitol. The goal of this research is to reduce cost and schedule, while adding quality and value to the project. The breakdown of my analysis is as follows. Analysis 1: Sequencing of Trades The Owner, which is the Virginia Department of General Services, is scheduled to entirely move out of the Existing Capitol at the beginning of May 200. They are moving into the Old State Library, which is located adjacent to the Virginia Capitol. The library is currently being renovated at the present time in order for the structure to accommodate the new tenants. The problem is that there is an added cost to the State of Virginia since the Old State Library must be renovated. The research will consider sequencing the trades within the capitol, so the owner does not have to perform a complete relocation process. They will occupy sections of the building at given times and construction will proceed where the tenants are not located. In order to do this, the use of technology as a beneficial tool will be investigated. 3D or 4D CAD would be of use for the actual sequencing plan and a complex security system would have to be used to keep the jobsite safe. This plan would hopefully save cost and schedule time during the project. The value of this technology will be determined by doing studies and analysis of the cost and schedule differences between the current and the proposed plan. Another consideration when it comes to the value of the technology is if the project team will use this to their fullest capability. The current industry trend that applies to this method is the use of technology to benefit the construction industry. This analysis is attainable, but the only obstacle that may occur is the noise generated from construction. A capitol building would not be a

2 good working environment during a major amount of construction noise. This is one area of focus that will have to be explored. The following picture shows where the Old State Library (shaded in) is in relation to the Existing Capitol. Figure 1: Adjacent structures to the Capitol The following figure shows one basic proposed plan for the sequencing of trades. The trades would have to start working in the core of the structure. Once this is finished, they could move to the outer wings. This procedure will help with material flow and security and safety issues involved with this project. Figure 2: Proposed Construction Plan

3 Research Steps Analyze articles that have been written on this subject to determine how the sequence of trades has been adopted in the past and what technologies were used. Analyze how cost, schedule, and quality are a driving force with what is adopted in the AEC industry. If there are no clear cut benefits, is the sequencing plan ever adopted. Develop a model of the plan and show it to the project team in order to analyze their feedback. Develop a survey to issue to industry members and analyze the feedback received from this study. Questionnaire: I am a th Year Architectural Engineering student from Penn State University. I am conducting research on the effectiveness that new technology is accepted into the construction industry. I would welcome you to answer a few questions regarding this research for me. 1. How long have you been working in the construction industry? a. 1- years b years c years d. 20+ years 2. What is your job title? 3. Do you put a large amount of emphasis on the sequencing of trades throughout your construction projects? 4. What are your major concerns when it comes to the sequencing of trades, either coordination or safety wise?. Do you think 3D or 4D CAD would be a major benefit when planning out a sequencing process for a construction process?

4 6. Have you used any technology, like 3D or 4D CAD, for a sequencing tool? 7. If so, what types of aids have you used in order to perform a thought out sequencing plan? 8. If not, how was the sequencing plan derived and did you have any problems with the implementation? 9. If you have been on a renovation project when the building was being occupied during construction, what safety and security measures were taken? 10. As a follow up to the previous question, would an elaborate security system be needed on the majority of these projects? 11. Throughout your experience, do you believe it is feasible to perform construction when the building is being occupied? 12. Where do you see innovative technology use as a sequencing of trade s tool in the near future? Analysis 2: Precast vs. Cast-in-Place A value engineering idea that arose from meetings at the PACE seminar is that precast may be more suitable than cast-in-place for this project. The current plan is to use CIP concrete on the entire New Extension, which includes the concrete floors, slab on grade, walls, and columns. One of the main problems is that the labor force in Richmond is already stretched thin due to an abundance of work in the downtown area. If precast was used on this project, it would help alleviate the labor needed during construction at a single time compared to cast-in-place concrete. This would also add major benefits to schedule, time and quality to the finished product. This analysis is attainable because it is a common value engineering idea. The only area that a problem would probably occur during the research is that the structure is a subterranean building. The precast may not behave as well as cast-in-place in this type

5 of environment. It will be interesting to see if constructability is a problem as well. Since the structure is underground, there are many more issues that may evolve from the investigation into this topic. The following photo is a typical foundation wall on the New Extension. This will be one area where precast concrete could possibly be used. Figure 3: Typical Foundation Wall on Extension

6 Research Steps Interview the project team and determine what issues have arose from the fact that the building is subterranean and the labor is hard to find. Research the cost, schedule, and quality issues regarding the two systems. This will help in determining if this system is beneficial to everyone involved. Develop surveys to send out to industry members. These surveys will help in determining if this idea would be a reasonable value engineering issue. Analysis 3: Recessed Concrete Floor Slab A constructability issue that arose during discussions with the Project Manager from Gilbane / Christman was the cast-in-place concrete utility tunnels that will exist under a new slab on grade in the Capitol Building. This system will require an extensive amount of coordination between trades due to the complexity of the project and the small space available to put the equipment into. The system that is being proposed is a fully recessed concrete floor slab with computer access flooring. This system will alleviate the complexity of coordination. The system will also add a benefit to future expansion of the current system. This is an important issue since the building is being constructed as a 100 year building, meaning that the current construction is supposed to last for 100 years without any major renovation or construction needing to take place within that time frame. This system may not add any benefit to schedule or cost, but when it comes to the constructability of the system, the proposed plan would possibly be simpler. This analysis will require extensive research into the proposed system, but it is able to be completed. This will be an interesting topic

7 because it is not common in most projects and it will provide insight into future projects that deal with complex utility tunnels. Research Steps Study the constructability of the two systems. This could be performed using 4D CAD. Interview the construction manager and tradesmen to see which system they think is more constructible. Study the future benefits of the proposed system over the current system. A cost and quality study will performed along with a future expansion investigation. Weight Matrix for Thesis Research Description Research Value Eng. Const. Rev. Sched. Red. Total Analysis Analysis Analysis Total %