Insight by Introduction With good cause, 3D printing technology has become a popular buzzword in recent years. Since its inception as a means of creating prototypes for new products, 3D printing has become a major player in a range of industries. Even while 3D printing technology has clearly shown its value in the fields of medicine, aerospace, and tool-making since its birth, there is one more area where it could break out: construction. Construction could be reshaped by 3D printing, which is already capable of producing walls and processing cement. There has been a significant rise over time in the construction industry's use of additive manufacturing. Architects and construction companies are increasingly using concrete 3D printers. Using 3D printing technology, the construction sector is now producing houses, wind turbines, fireplaces, walls, stairwells, and other architectural features using 3D concrete printing. Concrete 3D printing is becoming more and more popular as a result of the advantages of on-site assembly, reduced time and cost, and improved quality. Construction sites around the world are being transformed by 3D printed concrete. Contractors face difficulties completing projects because of labor shortages and supply chain disruptions as the construction industry attempts to recover from the COVID-19 outbreak. Today, more than ever, the housing industry urgently needs innovative ideas to reduce costs and make up for lost time due to declining inventory. The Benefits of 3D Printing in Construction Speed Three-dimensional printing has previously demonstrated that a house or other structure can be constructed from the ground up in just a few days. Conventional construction might take months or even years to complete a business building, making this a substantially speedier option. Waste reduction It is possible that 3D printing can assist reduce building waste, but this is not a panacea. A big part of this is due to the fact that 3D printing is an additive manufacturing technique that only uses as much material as is necessary to create the structure being printed. Prefabrication and lean construction, both of which reduce waste during construction, raise the prospect of an entirely waste-free structure. Design freedom The design flexibility that 3D printing provides is one of its most appealing features. Architects can produce designs that are impossible or too expensive or time-consuming for other construction methods. An increase in commercial construction innovation and inventiveness is possible because of this. Reduce human error Using 3D printing on the jobsite will undoubtedly reduce worker injuries and fatalities, as construction would be more programmable and automated. You may also find useful Could bots be the artificial sidekick the engineering industry needs? Know About 3D Printed Concrete Top 5 Construction Industry innovations in 2022 The Challenges of 3D Printing in Construction High costs Because 3D printing technology is so expensive and difficult to transport to building sites, it may be a significant barrier to its widespread use on construction sites. The upfront cost of a 3D printer does not include the cost of materials or maintenance. For the time being, many building experts find it difficult to balance the costs of 3D printing with the potential advantages of the technology. A scarcity of Labor Construction is increasing, which means there is a significant demand for qualified labor. All that's missing is a sufficient number. Even with the labor shortage, 3D printing still necessitates a more specialized skill set, which necessitates a smaller pool of potential employees. In a time when qualified professionals are already scarce in the construction industry, obtaining them for 3D printing projects could prove all the more difficult. Management of quality Construction can already be slowed by the weather, but 3D printing could amplify the effects of nature. The weather, climatic circumstances, and more might make 3D printing in commercial building a bust rather than a boom. Quality control is already a challenge in construction. Without continual monitoring and oversight by real people, 3D printing quality could turn into a costly disaster. Regulations 3D printing regulation is an issue that you might not have considered right away as a downside. The building industry has yet to see the full impact of 3D printing regulations, which have been making headlines recently. The downside is that using printers instead of humans for some construction tasks may carry some risk. This element of 3D printing in construction is now fraught with ambiguity. It's unlikely that 3D printing will have a significant impact on the building industry unless laws and regulations are properly defined. Future Ahead Despite the immense promise of 3D printing concrete, it's important to remember that concrete technology as a whole is still in its infancy. The majority of concrete-processing 3D printers are currently under development and aren't ready for mass production. When it comes to building everything from foundations to walls and individual cinder blocks and bridges with additive manufacturing, the possibilities are nearly endless. Many people believe that a concrete 3D printer is capable of producing a full building, although the walls and foundations are typically built using additive manufacturing processes alone. Contrary to popular belief, however, concrete 3D printing has had a profound effect on the construction business. The recent decade has seen an increase in the number of companies that specialize in the production of concrete. Concrete 3D printers are now being used in an increasing number of countries for the construction of new dwellings. Numerous new goods have emerged as a result of recent developments in concrete 3D printing technology. Homelessness and environmental preservation are only some of the issues that will benefit immensely from these new technologies. Here are some examples of 3D printers available in the Market: CyBe Robot Crawler (mobile 3D printer) Our CyBe RC is a mobile 3D concrete printer and can be used in multiple locations. Thanks to its portability, this printer is ideal for construction companies and precast factories. The ABB robotic arm is attached on a movable crawler with rubber tracks that make it easy to maneuver the printer regardless of the terrain. The hydraulic feet stabilize the machine while it prints and are extendable, increasing the total printable height of projects.

What is seismic behavior? The perimeter design of a building has a significant impact on seismic behavior. The center of mass will not correspond with the center of resistance if there is significant variation in strength and stiffness around the perimeter, and torsional forces will cause the building to rotate around the point of resistance. An open-front design in buildings like fire stations and garages, where huge doors allow cars to pass through, is a classic example of an imbalanced perimeter. What are the effects of earthquakes on buildings? Inertia Forces in Buildings: The ground started to shake during an earthquake. Therefore, a structure resting on it will have motion at the base. Despite the building's base moving with the ground, according to Newton's First Law of Motion, the roof tends to hold in its initial position. However, because it is attached to the walls and columns, they pull the roof along with them. Similar to when a bus you are standing in suddenly starts, your feet go with it but your upper body tends to stay behind, causing you to fall backward! Inertia is the tendency to maintain one's position after changing it. The building's roof moves differently from the ground because the walls or columns are flexible 👇 Impact of Structure Deformations: The columns encounter forces as a result of the roof's inertia, which is communicated to the ground through the columns. There is another method to understand the forces produced in the columns. The columns move relative to one another when an earthquake shakes them. Quantity u ( the relative horizontal displacement between the top and bottom of the column) between the roof and the ground is represented in this movement. However, if given the chance, columns would prefer to return to their original, straight vertical posture; in other words, they oppose deformations. The columns do not transmit any horizontal earthquake force through them when they are vertically aligned. However, when forced to bend, they produce internal forces. Internal forces within columns increase in magnitude in direct proportion to the relative horizontal displacement u between the top and bottom of the column. Additionally, the magnitude of this force increases with the stiffness of the columns (i.e., column size). These internal forces in the columns are known as stiffness forces as a result. In actuality, a column's stiffness force is equal to the stiffness of the column multiplied by the distance between its ends. Shaking to the horizontal and vertical: The ground shakes during an earthquake in all three directions, including the two horizontal ones (X and Y, for example) and the vertical one (Z, for example). In addition, the ground shakes erratically back and forth (- and +) along each of the X, Y, and Z directions during an earthquake. All structures are built with the intention of supporting the weight of the earth's gravity, which is represented by an equation F=M *g Where, F=force M= mass g=acceleration of gravity acting in a downward vertical direction (-Z). The term "gravity load" refers to the downward force Mg. The vertical acceleration caused by ground shaking either increases or decreases the acceleration brought on by gravity. Since safety issues are taken into account when designing structures to withstand gravity loads, most structures typically have enough stability to withstand vertical shaking. However, there is still cause for concern over horizontal shaking in the X and Y directions (both + and - directions of each). In general, structures made to withstand gravity loads might not be able to safely withstand the effects of horizontal earthquake shaking. Therefore, it is essential to guarantee that structures are adequate against the effects of horizontal earthquakes. Methods of Analysis Used in Seismic Design: Equivalent static analysis: The dynamic influence of forces must be considered while designing buildings against lateral forces. However, analysis by linear methods that are (Static) comparable to linear static methods is satisfied for simple structures. Most codes of practice allow the equivalent linear static approach for regular and irregular low- to medium-rise and other buildings. The first stage in the static equivalent approach is to estimate the base shear load, after which the base shear distribution on each story is estimated using IS code formulas. This method is not ideal for tall structures since it is inconvenient to use, and the number of mode forms in tall structures is greater, thus this method should not be utilized. Response spectrum analysis: This study is appropriate for structures that have modes other than the fundamental one that has a major impact on the structure's behavior. The response of a multi-degree-of-freedom system is represented by the superposition of modal responses in the response spectrum approach. Each modal response is calculated using spectral analysis of a single degree of freedom system, and then the overall response is computed. Definition of mode: The deformation that a component would exhibit at its natural frequency of vibration is known as a mode. Structural dynamics makes use of the phrases mode shape and natural vibration form. When a component vibrates at its native frequency, it would deform as described by its mode shape. Push over-analysis: In a push-over analysis, the vertical and lateral loads on a structure progressively rise, allowing the displacement and damage of the structure to be studied. This approach also exhibits cyclic behavior and load reversal. The structure is pushed until it reaches its greatest extreme ability to twist, as the name implies. This method is particularly useful in comprehending the mishaps and splitting of a structure in the event of an earthquake, and it provides a reasonable understanding of the distortion of the structure and the placement of plastic hinges in the structure. P-Delta analysis: The P- Delta effect is a non-linear (second-order) phenomenon that occurs in every construction with axial loads on the elements. The genuine effect connected with the magnitude of the applied axial load (P) and the lateral displacement is known as the P D-delta effect (Delta). Because of the deformed shape, it generates additional shear forces and bending moments in the structure. The P-Delta effect is more pronounced in tall structures, and it has a negative impact when deformation is triggered by an earthquake. P-Delta has two effects: P-BIG delta (P-Δ) - a structure effect P-little delta (P-δ) - a member effect The member instability effect, also known as the P-δ effect or P-"small-delta," is linked to local deformation relative to the element chord between end nodes. P-δ is usually only important at unreasonably large displacement levels or in particularly thin columns. The structure instability effect (P-Big delta or Large P-delta) refers to the consequences of vertical loads acting on a laterally displaced structure. Useful Links: https://www.iitk.ac.in/nicee/EQTips/EQTip05.pdf https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/seismic-analysis https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1755-1315/362/1/012119 http://msrblog.com/assign/science/geography/report-on-equivalent-static-force-method-and-time-history-analysis.html https://www.sksupertmt.com/vol-1-issue-8.html https://sjce.ac.in/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/EQ2-Earthquake-Effects.pdf

Information is an asset to be valued, treasured, and managed. The value is in capturing that information as it is created throughout the delivery and operation of an asset. An assets and assets information life cycle includes the high-level pillars of: - Design and build - Operate and manage - Plan and manage new or refurbished projects Throughout the life cycle of an asset, information flow depends on the activities and processes that are involved in each stage which will involve the planning, creation, and operational management of that asset. The value is in capturing information as it is created Each activity is supported by processes carried out that collect, create and maintain information. Those processes are made up of individual tasks that required information to be acquired or information to be delivered of other processes and tasks to be carried out. Hence there are many exchange transactions between parties involved in an asset life cycle. It should be noted that for each stage, different activities which require different types and movements of information. The typical life cycles could be: - Planning stage - Design stage - Construction/modify - Test validate & Handover to operation - Operation and manage DNA information through each stage Summary of DNA information for each stage: Stage 0-1 (strategy): o Develop business requirements Stage 2-4 (explore/develop): o Develop functional requirements and performance specifications o Master planning requirements Stage 5-6 (deliver): o Satisfy functional requirements such as construction and asset component requirements Stage 7 (operate): o Maintain functional requirements Information throughout the delivery and operation is the golden thread You can predict the behavior, and reliability of an asset, based on data collected from existing assets, reducing the uncertainty of the performance of the asset and the commercial performance risk involved in using that asset. Predictability is valuable in the construction industry because so many aspects of construction are unpredictable. If something fails you have the information DNA to know WHY you put it there in the first place, and what its performance criteria were and that helps you find a similar product and replace it. Provides the basis of forwarding analysis. If you want to change the performance requirement for something, such as changing the capacity of a bridge you can do so. Information is stored in the DNA chain. At any one stage, the asset owner can look back through the information DNA chain to discover the reason and purpose of the asset. It is therefore important that the delivery stage information not only describes how the asset is constructed but can provide critical information for those who will manage and operate the asset (The stakeholders). For example, if a bridge bearing is needed to be replaced, the DNA information which was built up from the concept stage to as build specification will be used by the user to identify the details of that bearing and analyze it from an engineering point and economical viewpoint if replacement is required based on the vast information DNA available. This information may include the material quality the method of construction and any detailed specifications the users should know. Recommended: ISO 1040 life cycle assessment framework explained Stages of Asset Information There are natural stages of an asset during its life: Planning Design Construction/Modify Test Validate & Handover to Operation Operation and Manage Each has its own peculiar/specific information requirements and need for information exchange. Some relate to are cumulative (that is they are additive at each process/step) to asset information, some are cumulative to the current process stage, and some are specific to a task within a process. The movement of information and the requirement for information will differ in each circle of interest and segment/stage. Information granularity as we go through the stages increases. The data could be from the supply chain and more: Data from the previous stage Lead design data Data for construction, scheduling, logistics, temporary works supplier Data from fabricators, product suppliers, material suppliers Data from specialist designers and analysts Cross-team coordination Planning stage (existing situation and proposed solutions) o Often carried out over a protracted period o Multiple and complex stakeholder involvement o Involves understanding the need and business case for change interacting with existing assets and other public/private assets o Developing functional performance requirements o Liaising with the public and other stakeholders o Creating early concept alternative solutions o Modelling the existing situation o Test possible solutions o Modelling proposed solutions e.g. Traffic modeling, Flood modeling o Developing cost estimates o Developing logistical plans Information is an asset to be valued treasured and managed Design stage o Information from Planning Stage o Information to and from multiple domain specialisms o Information between tasks in the process and the specialisms o Information from existing context & environment o Information from an existing asset involved. o Develops functional information o Develops technical requirements information o Develops physical information: Spatial Geometry, Properties o Details cost estimates o Details quantity requirements o Details construction delivery requirements Construction/modify o Information required to translate the digital asset designs and plans into physical assets. o Technical requirements information o Physical information: Spatial, Geometry, Properties o Quantity requirements o Costs o Construction delivery planning o As-built information from each delivery task satisfying design technical requirements: - Changes in design - Materials used - Properties - Products used Tests Validate & Handover operation o Information about tests carried out and results o Information that validates and verifies delivery of technical and functional requirements o Information required for maintaining delivered products o Information that is required for handover acceptance Operation and manage o Information that measures the performance of the physical asset o Information to model asset behavior for example traffic management, mitigation of issues as they arise, disaster planning o Information that is required by operational systems for example signaling, flood monitoring, structural behavior, timetabling o Information that is required for asset intervention such as maintenance, repair, or replacement of asset parts

Building Information Modeling (BIM) helps create and manage information models in a custom data environment that contains both graphical and non-graphical information (Ingibjörg Birna Kjartansdóttir). The information associated with the 3D Model increases as the project progress increases. The simplest way to explain BIM dimensions is that they are further details or pieces of information added to a model to help the project team better understand the model (Hamil, 2021). They are the specific ways in which different data types are integrated into an information model. You get a better picture of the project by adding more dimensions of details, such as how it will be organized, its cost, and how it should be maintained. It should be noted that BIM Dimensions are different from the BIM Level of Development. The level of development standards shows the extent to which a 3D model’s geometry, specs, and associated information can be relied on by the team members. On the other hand, BIM Dimensions are details or further information stored within a model, like its cost, time, and other factors. This article will shed light on what it means to add different dimensions of data to a BIM model, how it works in practice, and what benefits can be anticipated. 4D BIM 4-D BIM is the addition of the time and schedule information with its 3-D Model (Ocean, n.d.). In a 4D BIM Model, we add a new dimension of information to a project information model in the form of scheduling data. This information allows the project team to make detailed and accurate project schedules while keeping the interdependencies of different tasks in view (Cards, n.d.). This data will be used to gain reliable project details as well as visual representations of how the project will progress over time. This also solves the problem of the communication gap between the site team and the planning team. 5D BIM 5D BIM is the integration of a 3D Model with its cost. The core concept of 5D BIM is to extract detailed and accurate cost information of building components. 5D BIM also helps project managers realize how any changes made to materials, designs, or areas could not only change the appearance of the building but also affect the budget and time. This includes different types of costs like purchasing costs, installation costs, running costs, and maintenance costs. These cost calculations can be made from different data sources. Integrating these costs with a 3D Model helps construction companies predict the quantities of different components in a project, associating them with their respective costs and thereby calculating the entire structure's cost (Cards, n.d.). 6D BIM 6D BIM adds lifecycle information of a project to its BIM model, e.g., manufacturing, installation, operation, maintenance, and repair information. All this information is built into the BIM model and handed to the owner for optimal performance and maintenance. Apart from being used at the end of the project, 6D BIM also facilitates users in the design phase. It aids in decision-making processes to move the focus from capital expenditures to operational expenditures of the built assets (Riley, 2013). 6D BIM is also called Integrated BIM and focuses on sustainability. It acts as an as-built model for the client containing a sort of Manual for the Operations and Maintenance of the building. You may also like: ISO 1040 Life Cycle Assessment framework - Explained 7D BIM 7D BIM is an efficient integration of a 3D project management model, a 1D schedule management model, and a 3D BIM. This is a BIM technology all set to manage project sustainability in construction projects. Complex construction projects can be easily managed, cutting down all hurdles (Andreani Marta, 2019). 7D BIM is a fresh technology that smartly integrates 3D project management models to make a 7th dimension proficient enough to detect sustainability of the architectural designs of projects. This integration is several levels smarter than a stepwise dimensional increase. It comes in handy with the detection of clashes in the design, modification of the structure, 3D project management, installation of various equipment, maintenance procedures, and other procedures that efficiently assist project managers and engineers for complex construction projects. Conclusion In conclusion, these dimensions aid or facilitate the project team in better visualizing their 3D model. With the addition of 4D BIM, the team can know the progress of the building at any point in time. With 5D BIM, the team can compare the planned and actual costs of the structure. With the help of 6D BIM, facility management can be made much easier and simple. Similarly, with 7D BIM, the project team can manage the project much more efficiently. Works Cited Ingibjörg Birna Kjartansdóttir, S. M. (n.d.). BUILDING INFORMATION MODELLING. In S. M. Ingibjörg Birna Kjartansdóttir, CONSTRUCTION MANAGERS’ LIBRARY. Ocean, J. (n.d.). BIM dimensions explanation and benefits. 2D, 3D, 4D, 5D and 6D BIM. Retrieved from revizto: https://revizto.com/en/2d-3d-4d-5d-6d-bim-dimensions/ Hamil, D. S. (2021, 9 9). BIM dimensions – 3D, 4D, 5D, 6D BIM explained . Retrieved from NBS: https://www.thenbs.com/knowledge/bim-dimensions-3d-4d-5d-6d-bim-explained Cards, T. (n.d.). 4D, 5D and 6D BIM . Retrieved from Technology Cards: https://www.technologycards.net/english/the-technologies/4d-5d-and-6d-bim Riley, A. C. (2013). What is going on with BIM? On the way to 6D. The International Construction Law Review. Australia. Andreani Marta, B. S. (2019). 7d BIM for sustainability assessment in design processes: a case study of design of alternatives in severe climate and heavy use conditions. Architecture and Engineering, 3-12.

by Sherif Issa Interesting, and not a very common question…. here are my 2-cents’ worth: It all depends on the building you want to put on top of the stone foundation. The stone foundation will be kept together using cement mortar or simply be compressed [consolidated] due to its own weight and the weight of the structure that will be added. Doing a foundation from stone requires experience and a reliable source which could be hard to come by. I prefer you to use plain concrete instead. The guides and software applications that help you design a stone foundation are few and far between, it will not be easy to design such a foundation confidently | safely, and economically at the same time. You will have to sacrifice one of the two parameters. In all practicality, for a structure to be supported solely on a stone foundation – it must be a light structure, a maximum of a two-story wooden home. That’s perhaps why no one uses a stone foundation all by itself anymore. For a larger, heavier building, you really have to go classic: use a regular reinforced concrete foundation system. A standard isolated footing supported on a bed of stone foundation- image source: Research Gate However to answer your question, here are some points that may help you. The minimum thickness of a reinforced concrete footing in most building codes is 30 to 35 CMs [12 to 14 inches]…. and as a rule of thumb, for each additional floor, you need 10 to 15 CM of thickness depending on the nature of the soil. Therefore, for a residential building 4 stories high with normal live loads and normal sandy silt soil, your footing would be 40 to 50 CM thick. So in case you are doing a stone foundation for a 1 story wooden home should be 60 CM thick, for two stories, make it 80 CM. The stones should be kept intact using a concrete mortar and well insulated from moisture. These figures should be verified using manual calculations – or assisted by design software that specializes in foundations. Finally, you should have a soil report available about the project site, as you may need soil replacement Get your dosing pumps in Saudi Arabia from Ejawda A typical stone foundation supports a light structure. Common in the US, Canada, and parts of Europe — But not around the middle east and North Africa by Sherif Issa

Line of Balance (LOB) The Line of Balance is a graphical production technique that can be used in conjunction with precedence diagrams. This graphical method gives a good understanding of how gangs go through work areas on a project. By analyzing the work carried out by individual gangs, using a line of balance the efficiency and delivery by work gangs can be significantly improved hence reducing errors or delays. Line of balance can provide the information of how many operatives are available and the possibility to reduce the overall project time by efficiently moving gangs from one activity to the other by overlapping as the example in Figure below. LOB is useful for carrying out repetitive activities such as the basement walls and efficiently use gangs to complete them in a more efficient way. You may also find this course from Columbia University useful: View the Course Syllabus here Cost optimization (Activities crushing) Cost optimisation technique based on network planning seeks to reduce the total project time by reducing the duration of activities or otherwise crash activities on the critical path in order of least cost slope thus reduce float of non-critical path activities. By carrying cost optimisation to reduce the project period, a time-cost relation is analysed. Indirect costs (e.g. site office expenses) reduce while direct costs such as labor or material costs increases as additional overtime hours and additional labor are required to finish the project in a shorter period than before. By applying this technique to the critical path network is known as crashing. It should be noted that crushing non-critical activities will not reduce the total project time. When the critical path is crushed is worth noting that a re-analysis of the network should be done as non-critical activities can become critical. By crashing activities an extensive increase of labour hours and subsequently cost will be inevitable. Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) PERT is type of milestone planning used in parallel with activity on arrow or precedence. PERT is a network analysis technique used to estimate project duration when there is a high degree of uncertainty for activities duration. By anticipating how long it will take to complete an activity, durations of pessimistic time, the longest it might take to complete, a most likely expected time and an optimistic time refers to the shortest possible duration as seen in the figure below are created. By using the equation in the below figure an expected time of the activity could be determined based on the approximations of optimistic (o), most likely (m), pessimistic (p). Advantages of PERT Some advantages of the PERT chart analysis are that it incorporates data and information from multiple sources and can manage a number of complex activities. PERT analysis increases the capability of managers to correctly evaluate the time and resources necessary for the completion of a project and has tracking capabilities. Furthermore, PERT is useful for creating what-if-analysis scenarios that may concern the flow of project resources and milestones such as in the pumping station of delivery of prefabricated members on-site on time. Disadvantages of PERT Some disadvantages of using the PERT system are that it is fairly complex, and its success depends on the management’s experience of using it. Also, due to the bulk of information and data, it can include unreliable data, such as unreasonable estimations for cost as it is a milestone-based approach. REFERENCES: Kopp, C. M., 2022. Program Evaluation Review Technique (PERT) Chart. [Online] Available at: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/pert-chart.asp

Construction tech success stories are unfortunately few and far between in comparison to other industries, especially given the mammoth $12 trillion dollar industry valuation. The reality which many construction tech startups face is that after months or years of developing a tech solution to a real construction issue and testing the solution with a smaller sample of the industry, the wider industry will not embrace the product. The reasons for this are often complex, with generalized findings being that the construction industry is fragmented, and key decision makers are often reluctant to change. Since discovering Civils.ai two months ago via a post on Reddit, it has been remarkable to watch this early-stage construction startup’s rapid ascent. They are taking and forging a different path and growing using a bottom-up, user-driven, community approach. Founded by Stevan Lukic and Mirko Vairo, they’ve created quite a buzz on social media and construction industry forums, the likes of which I haven’t seen in our industry before. Taking a closer look at Civils.ai, their web platform hosts a suite of Engineering calculators to solve common construction issues. By pulling in relevant data from their pool of construction information they help with planning construction projects in the feasibility stage. A key difference between Civils.ai and anything else on the market, with the exception of Spacemaker AI (recently acquired by Autodesk), is the ease and simplicity with which they put a massive amount of data at the fingertips of Engineers. Import process of technical data into civil engineering calculators This idea was inspired by Stevan Lukic whilst working as a Civil Engineer. At the time Stevan found that most of his work day was spent searching for technical information, rather than doing his job as an Engineering designer. After meeting Mirko Vairo, a serial founder with a background in AI on the Antler Singapore 2022 Programme, they decided to fix this problem. One of the secrets behind their remarkable growth since launching their Minimum Viable Product (MVP) software in May 2022 is the open-source element of Civils.ai. It is supported by a community of over 70 Professional Engineers from around the world. These Engineers help support the core Civils.ai team in developing new Engineering calculators. This helps the Civils.ai team target real user issues, find new niches of the construction industry, and connect new calculators to the Civils.ai database. Looking at their product roadmap I am especially interested to see their developments in geological mapping and the digitisation of subsurface data for major cities. The scale of the problem of data inaccuracy in the construction industry is huge, with a recent report from Autodesk estimating that the annual cost of ‘bad data’ in construction is 1.84 trillion dollars. This could explain the current 6,000 monthly active users using the platform and 30,000 calculations performed in the months since launching earlier this year. The outstanding organic adoption of Civils.ai by users encouraged the early-stage VC Antler to back them with a pre-seed investment. I’m excited to see what is ahead for this promising and brilliant early-stage startup.

The more highly engaged and motivated the workforce is, the more likely the success of the organization in achieving its goals and objectives. As per Kreitner et al, performance is a product of an individual’s skills, abilities, and motivation (Kreitner, et al., 1999). Various physiological motives such as salary, promotion, work environment, conditions of work, and social motives such as the opportunity to use one’s ability, challenging work, appreciation, positive recognition, and team leadership relationship can heavily influence staff’s motivation to work in an organization that promotes these values. The content theory of Maslow as illustrated in the Figure below identifies the individual development and motivations of humans arranged in a series of hierarchies of importance which heavily influences the management approaches to motivation and organization structure. Applying Maslow's theory principles encourages employees to reach their full potential. By ensuring the most basic physiological (e.g., safe working environment), and security needs, the employees are self-motivated to fulfill the higher-level needs of Maslow’s triangle, hence, improving their individual performance and that of the organization. Making employees feel part of a team, have recognition of achievements, and learn new skills as well as nurturing the needs of social relationships, self-esteem, and professional accomplishment through training programs will motivate the workforce to do better work. A hierarchical structure limits the interaction of employees from different departments which limits professional growth. On the other side, a matrix structure offers exposure to opportunities and interaction with people due to its team arrangement, however, it also contributes to workforce insecurity after a project is finished. In a project-oriented environment such as civil engineering, the achievements of the team goals sometimes overshadow individuals’ achievements which could demotivate some employees. As per the two-factor theory developed by Herzberg, defined as hygiene and motivator factors, “the opposite of dissatisfaction is not satisfaction but, simply, no dissatisfaction”. The Hawthorne Experiment Although, while working conditions are included as a hygiene factor, such motivation theories could be argued by the Hawthorne Experiments which found working conditions to motivate staff. The Hawthorne Experiment was conducted in four parts, each testing different factors such as working conditions (lighting) and attention from supervision (the response of management to complaints and having sympathetic ‘good listeners’ as interviewers). Unexpectedly, the workers under poorer working conditions were found to have a higher productivity rate thus going against the hygiene factor theory. The Equity Theory of Motivation This theory focuses on how fair an individual perceives their work based on their inputs into their work compared to outputs - what they get out of it. Such inputs include time, effort, ability, and loyalty, while outputs include pay, bonus perks, security, and recognition. The theory concludes that people become demotivated and reduce their inputs as they feel that the rewards do not fairly match their inputs based on a perceived market norm. While not indicating further motivation, this theory, in line with the Two-Factor theory, puts salary as more of a factor that avoids the reduction in motivation rather than further increasing motivation. Thus, motivation does not depend on a higher salary. It also suggests that salary is not the only factor that upholds an individual's motivation, but a factor among many others which may vary in importance depending on an individual’s unique perception of what rewards balance out their inputs. Rather than financial, such factors could be enjoyed in the job, recognition and development, and responsibility. Get MULLINS Book REFERENCES: Kreitner, R., Kinicki, A. & Buelens, M., 1999. Organizational Behaviour. In: f. E. edition, ed. s.l.:McGraw-Hill.

Introduction to Wind Energy Wind energy is one of the fastest-growing renewable technologies globally due to falling costs and engineering innovations introduced. Global wind generation capacity has increased around 75% in the past 20 years with onshore wind farms leading the way with an installed capacity of 698GW in 2020 with offshore following with 34GW and offering tremendous potential in the future (IRENA, 2020). Wind energy uses the kinetic energy created by air in motion to produce electricity through the various turbines offered on the market. The amount of energy produced majorly depends on the size of the turbine and the lengths of its blades which is directly associated with the wind speed (IRENA, 2020). Are you following the COP26? The UK will host the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow on 31 October – 12 November 2021. The COP26 summit will bring parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The UK is committed to working with all countries and joining forces with civil society, companies, and people on the frontline of climate change to inspire climate action ahead of COP26. Methodology Turbine efficiency and manufacturing costs improved immensely over the last decade with the current offshore turbine MIH Vestas having a specific power of 450 W/m2, the most powerful wind turbine of the present (Deutsche WindGuard, 2018). Nevertheless, the choice of turbine suitability depends on the project specifics. For example, high specific power turbines are more suitable for regions with high average wind speeds. Therefore, to reach the same capacity factor (yearly average power production/rated power production) the appropriate turbine-specific power should be chosen by giving the most focus on average wind speeds (Deutsche WindGuard, 2018). Studies predict that the capacity density of offshore turbines will reach values of 5.36 MW/km2, with a capacity factor of 47%, further improving the efficiency of wind farms (Deutsche WindGuard, 2018). A variation of foundation types is present mainly depending on the water depth, soil conditions, and the size of the turbine. As shown in Figure 1, 77% of offshore wind farms completed in 2016 suggest steel monopiles as the option of choice. The latest technology of floating foundations has the potential to decrease CAPEX cost by 65% in scenarios simulated in 2027 to 2040 (McKinsey, 2016). Moreover, floating substructures have the prospect to explore locations with deep waters that offer a great opportunity on capitalising on wind energy. Costs When developing wind farm projects, the overall project costs are mostly accumulated at the construction phase due to the very expensive turbines, foundations, and transmission assets compared to the relative pre-financial close costs of environmental impact assessment, wind studies, and others (Deloitte, 2014). As shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3, onshore projects have higher variability in cost per installed MW due to factors such as soil conditions, local costs, and current infrastructure which influence the total cost. On the other hand, offshore projects tend to be generally more complex and around 2-3 times more expensive than onshore with higher percentages of other key infrastructure costs other than the turbine (Deloitte, 2014). Current 2020 data suggest that the price of electricity from wind has fallen by 44-78% from 2010, reaching a global weighted-average cost of USD 0.051-0.099/kWh for onshore and USD 0.087-0.115/kWh for offshore (IRENA, 2019). Figures from Deloitte - As illustrated in Figure 4, increased site depth of offshore projects shows a correlation with increased project cost. It is expected that innovation and standardization of the offshore industry, such as the introduction of floating turbines and overall larger turbines will decrease total project costs. Wind energy has a low Energy Return on Investment (EROI) of around 3.9 due to the required storage and backup capacity as well as that wind speeds vary making it harder to estimate accurate energy outputs. Current 2020 data provided by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has found that global average total cost of onshore had decreased by 74% in the past 47 years and offshore has increased by 22% in the past 20 years due to projects moving into deeper waters (IRENA, 2020). As shown in Table 1, the cost of both offshore and onshore is around 1355–3185/kW globally with capacity factors around 33-44%. The generation of electricity over the project lifespan (LCOE) is twice the amount for offshore compared to onshore. Lastly, IRR is estimated at around 7-7.5% for both onshore and offshore with future innovations and supply chain improvements the return of an investment will potentially increase in the upcoming years (Deloitte, 2014). Table 1 with supporting data from (Deloitte, 2014) shows that the operational cost of offshore wind farms is higher than for onshore farms due to the greater costs accumulated for accessing and maintaining the turbines. Due to harsh marine environments in the open sea, a higher level of failure to some components is evident as well as the requirement of vessels to access the site. In general, OPEX could vary significantly in projects depending on the location, service contract, and land lease deals made as can be seen in Figure 5 and Figure 6, with the cost of parts/equipment being the highest for both onshore and offshore. References Deloitte, 2014. Establishing the investment case Wind power, Copenhagen: Deloitte. Deutsche WindGuard, 2018. Capacity densities of European offshore wind farms, s.l.: Baltic Lines. Purta, M., Marciniak, T. & Rozenbaum, K., 2016. Developing offshore wind power in Poland, s.l.: McKinsey&Company. IRENA - Renewable Capacity Statistics 2020

The continuing search for maximum value for money in construction work has, in recent years, increasingly focused attention upon the procurement process (Morledge & Smith, 2013). Effective delivery of a project requires that the supply chain clearly understands the client’s needs and specific business case to deliver an economical and efficient end product (Hackett & Statham, 2016). A balance between the pillars of cost, time and function should be established with a procurement strategy be developed in the context of the client’s attitude to project risk and definitions of good value for money (Hackett & Statham, 2016) (Morledge & Smith, 2013). Inexperienced clients tend to focus on maximising benefits per initial capital cost, thus neglecting the benefits that value management and value engineering can bring to the table (Morledge & Smith, 2013). Value Management Value management comprises a systematic process to define what value means for clients and end-users of a facility (Hackett & Statham, 2016), to improve communication to the multidisciplinary project teams and to increase the likelihood of achieving clients requirements at optimum value for money whilst minimising the use of resources (Morledge & Smith, 2013) (Hackett & Statham, 2016). A utility of value management, value engineering which has the basic philosophy to determine through collaboration and open discussion the costs that do not contribute to the performance of required function achieves the overall optimisation of the project and ensures the delivery of better value for clients. READ MORE: Cost, Time and Quality | The Golden Triangle in Construction In all developed projects, a balance between cost and value must be established (CIOB, 2014). The nature of the project would be influential in determining the prioritised objective of time, cost or quality/performance. As outlined in the publication by the Society of Construction Law (CIOB, 2014), the most common causes that result in a project failure, where the lack of clear links between the project and the client’s organisation key strategic priorities with a misunderstanding on the agreed measures of success were the causes of projects not achieving the promised deliverables. Morledge & Smith identify that best design is a combination of inspiration, understanding and application. They go on to further argue that the segregation of design and construction inherent in traditionally based procurement strategies reduces the potentiality to maximise true value on projects. Innovative new collaborative procurement systems such as cost-let, integrated project insurance and two-stage open book enable contractors and suppliers to engage early into the design, transparency of cost and promoting multidisciplinary collaboration (CIOB, 2014). For instance, a two-stage open book procurement system reduces industry bidding costs and provides the opportunity for clients to work earlier with a single integrated team. On the other side, cost led systems provide the client with the opportunity to set cost ceiling which the supply chain can bring experience and innovation with the aim of providing a competitive environment that drives better value, with integrated project insurance providing the opportunity to eliminate the “blame/claim’’ culture (CIOB, 2014).

Sustainable design meets traditional construction It should come as no shock to the engineering community that mass timber has grown increasingly popular among building materials. While it still isn’t as heavily used as its counterparts steel and concrete, it is capable of a lot more than you think. When you hear of wood structures you usually picture a residential home with 2x4 plywood and stick framing, not a massive 18-storey building. Well, Canada, Norway, and now the United States are a few of the many places pioneering this movement toward mass timber construction. What is Mass Timber? Mass Timber is a type of engineered wood product that is stronger than regular wood. It is usually made out of thin sheets of wood that are laminated together. Using various combinations and sizes, mass timber products can serve as beams, columns, floors, roofs, and walls taking into consideration the directional strength of each wood product. Mass timber is also very lightweight, making it ideal for buildings that need to be extremely energy efficient. It is also more sustainable than other types of building materials because it doesn’t require any fossil fuels to produce. Mass Timber is a generic term that covers all types of wood construction materials such as cross-laminated timber (CLT), nail-laminated timber (NLT), dowel-laminated timber (DLT), glued-laminated timber (glu-lam), and mass plywood panels (see below). Of all the products, cross-laminated timber is the most popular and familiar. To make CLT, you need to cut lumber into long planks called lumber boards. They then must be trimmed, kiln-dried, and glued one on top of the other in layers, crosswise, with the grain of each layer facing against the grain of the adjacent layer. This technique of stacking boards can create large slabs 0.3 meters thick and on average 3 meters long by 12 meters wide. The size of the lumber is dictated more by transportation limitations than manufacturing ones. While there are many pros to mass timber there are also a few cons. Let's dive into the positives first. Benefits of Mass Timber Fire resistance, structural integrity, and environmental attributes make new tall wood buildings among the most innovative structures in the world. — Think Wood Reduced Carbon Emissions In 2013, researchers at the University of British Columbia found that mass timber buildings could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 30%. Not only does mass timber require less energy to create than other building materials, but mass timber could absorb carbon from the atmosphere through natural processes. Journal of Green Building (2019) did a study and found that one cubic meter of CLT wood sequesters roughly one tonne (1.1 US tons) of CO2. And because mass timber panels can be made from young or damaged trees, their production moves the needle toward more sustainable forestry. “Globally, both enough extra wood can be harvested sustainably and enough infrastructure of buildings and bridges needs to be built to reduce annual CO2 emissions by 14 to 31% and FF consumption by 12 to 19% if part of this infrastructure were made of wood.” The biggest drop in CO2 emissions came, it said, from “avoiding the excess [fossil fuel] energy used to make steel and concrete structures.” — Journal of Sustainable Forestry (2014) Faster Construction “Mass timber buildings are roughly 25% faster to construct than concrete buildings and require 90% less construction traffic.” — Think Wood Similar to precast concrete, the labor and fabrication for CLT buildings are done at a factory except “computer numerical control” (CNC) machines are responsible for creating precision cuts of wood. This negates the need for materials to be ordered in mass quantities, cut to size on site, and assembled. If architects and designers provide detailed plans, a factory can create something like a CLT wall exactly according to specifications. There are no wasted materials, as doors and windows are not cut out of the walls. Computer-guided fabrication means that the wood is placed only where needed which reduces waste and saves time and money. Prefabricated buildings can be assembled quickly and easily, making them ideal for construction sites. These prefabricated pieces are shipped directly to the construction site in small batches, allowing for minimal on-site disruption. Additionally, prefabricated buildings can fit into tight, distinctive spaces, such as those found in cities. Increased Protection Against Fire (shocking right?) A 5-ply cross-laminated timber (CLT) panel wall was subjected to temperatures exceeding 982 degrees Celsius (1,800 Farenheit) during a fire resistance test and lasted 3 hours and 6 minutes which exceeds the 2-hour rating that building codes typically require (Vox Media, 2020). The thickness of compressed, solid mass timber is quite difficult to burn. If there is a fire, exposed mass timber will char on the outside creating an insulating layer protecting the interior wood from damage. This allows the material to retain structural integrity for several hours in even the most intense fire. Further reports on fire testing of CLT can be found from the US Forest Service, the International Code Council, and the Fire Protection Research Foundation. Concerns about Mass Timber Environmentalists worry that North American forests are not sufficiently protected to handle a stark uptick in demand. The Natural Resources Defense Council put out a report stating that the number of greenhouse gases being released by clearcutting the Boreal forest in Canada might be incredibly undercounted. Numerous environmental groups, led by the Sierra Club, said in an open letter to California state officials that “CLT cannot be climate-smart unless it comes from climate-smart forestry.” The letter provides a detailed list of rules and best practices that should guide climate-smart forestry, including: “Logging of the world’s remaining mature and primary forests, as well as unroaded/undeveloped and other intact forest landscapes, should cease.” And: “Tree plantations should not be established at the expense of natural forests.” (Vox Media 2020). If we are not careful about sustainable forestry we may be causing more harm than we are doing good. It is essential for the future of mass timber that the proper regulations and specifications are in place so that forests are still maintaining a bio-diverse ecosystem that serves as not only a place for carbon to be stored but also for animals and plants to live and thrive and nature to be admired and appreciated by all. So now that we know a little more about what mass timber is, here are a few examples to show what it is capable of. Mjøstårnet Standing at 84.5 meters tall and 18 storeys high, Mjøstårnet is one of the tallest timber buildings in the world. Mjøstårnet was built four storeys at a time in five construction stages and was completed in 2019. Glulam columns, beams, and diagonals were used for the primary load bearing system, and CLT was used for elevator shafts and balconies. The pre-fabricated sections and floor slabs were hoisted into place with just internal scaffolding and a large crane. The material for the building was sourced locally from the Brumunddal area in Norway given their major forestry and wood processing industry. The tower has received numerous awards and recognitions, such as the New York Design Awards, Norwegian Tech Awards, and CTBUH’s Award of Excellence. Brock Commons Tallwood House Brock Commons Tallwood House is a unique 18-storey hybrid mass timber residence at the University of British Columbia (UBC). The wood structure was built less than 70 days after the prefabricated components were delivered to the site (approximately four months faster than a typical project of this size and scope). The building is made up of 17 stories of mass timber construction above a concrete podium and two concrete stair cores. The floor structure consists of 5-ply cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels supported on glue laminated timber (glulam) columns. The roof is made of prefabricated sections of steel beams and metal decking. You can actually see the timelapse of the building being constructed in the video below! While mass timber is still not even close to being a mainstream material like steel and concrete, it is growing increasingly popular globally. There is a lot of potential for mass timber but we have to remember the associated risks involved. As long as processes are put in place to ensure the safety of our forests worldwide, mass timber could really pave the way for a more sustainable future in construction. When it comes to designing a mass timber structure, a program like civils.ai could adapt to include mass timber design in its software thanks to its open-source nature. We could bring on an expert in timber design and work on building out a solution that could eventually include timber material catalogues. Our already existing and popular beam calculator is available to use for steel members. Additionally, our tunneling and geotechnical calculators are growing each day with new and exciting features. While we are still a work in progress, we make sure we are up to date on the latest innovative and evolving practices in the engineering and construction industry and hope to keep you all informed as well. References The hottest new thing in sustainable building is, uh, wood Architects, builders, and sustainability advocates are all abuzz over a new building material they say could…www.vox.com What Is Mass Timber? - Design + Construction | naturally:wood Mass timber products are the building blocks that make taller wood construction possible. Products in the mass timber…www.naturallywood.com Life Cycle Energy and Environmental Impacts of Cross Laminated Timber Made with Coastal Douglas-fir ABSTRACT. In this study, a cradle-to-gate life-cycle assessment (LCA) of Oregon-made cross-laminated timber (CLT) was…meridian.allenpress.com Mass Timber Products: Innovative Wood-Based Building Materials | NC State Extension Publications Mass timber products, also known as wood-based engineered construction materials, are becoming widely prevalent in the…content.ces.ncsu.edu How Mass Timber Is Making Wood Construction Viable Again - Omrania Thanks to new innovations in wood construction, one of the oldest building materials may become the building material…omrania.com https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10549811.2013.839386

by Ruslan Plechen My name is Ruslan, I am working as an Electrical Design Engineer. As usual, I am working with big residential and commercial buildings with a professional team. In my work, I use Revit for preparing plans, BOM, cable schedule, etc., and Excel for calculations and SLD. Last year I decided to do a whole project, including calculations, in Revit, however without any external software and plugins to keep a model “clear”. So, I had many problems with this decision because Revit has a poor toolset to do calculations, especially for electrical loads. But fortunately, this is not true, if you know to use Revit very well, because this program gives enormous possibilities to build what, we, the user wants by using a mix of different tools. And I began experimenting... In this article, I share my knowledge in solving the problems with doing calculations in Revit in the following chapters: 1. What we can do in Revit using “visible” tools; 2. What “invisible” tools we can use; 3. Conclusion. 1. WHAT WE CAN DO IN REVIT USING “VISIBLE” TOOLS As a rule of thumb, working in Revit as a casual designer looks like this: a. make some settings; b. place electrical panels; c. place consumers and connect them to the placed panels; d. adjust circuit route and add rise/down length; e. create or use template schedules of electrical circuits. After these actions, you will receive the electrical circuit schedule list of the calculation parameters, but the wire size shown is not correct (not in EU form), also we cannot receive in this schedule demand factor and demand load, for this reason, we can use it only for consumers, for panels which consist of different types of loads, it does not work. The demand factor and demand load we have in the electrical equipment schedule, however, cannot link electrical circuits and electrical equipment parameters to do necessary calculations without Dynamo, for example. And the second problem, we cannot show these calculated parameters in a graphical view (single line diagram), because there is no existing link between electrical circuits and generic annotation. As result, many designers use Excel for calculations and AutoCAD for SLD. 2. WHAT “INVISIBLE” TOOLS WE CAN USE The most powerful tool, we can use to do calculations is key schedules. To work with electrical calculations, I recommend basing it on the electrical circuit family, because here we have power, current, and length. Key schedules allow us to add any necessary information to the project, which we can use in formulas in schedules and makes it possible to realize many methods of calculations. Furthermore, all information and formulas are in one program, and we can control the calculation process and final values. What about demand loads. To work with loads we need no key schedule. What we need is to create a custom "number" parameter in the schedule and multiply it by the total load (in VA). Value for the demand factor we receive from electrical equipment and manually or using Dynamo replace it in our custom parameter. Beginning from Revit 2022 we have the possibility to add to the key schedule the shared parameters that make it work faster and easier and this feature unloads the model in general because we can keep fewer families and types of families. 3. CONCLUSION With this wise approach and with many efforts in Revit we can solve any problem and by using Dynamo we can make faster some tasks/moments that Revit cannot accelerate. Here is an example of calculated parameters in an electrical circuit schedule: Here is an example of replaced calculated parameters to generic annotation families using Dynamo: P.S. I am always open to collaboration if you have a big, interesting project and want to do it in Revit without external programs and addins, feel free to contact me by email: r.plechen@outlook.com