Journal of Advanced Research in Construction & Urban Architecture

Suitable delay minimizing measures: Case Analysis of Selected Road and Bridge Projects in Various Geographical Regions of Nepal

2023-11-06T12:14:22+00:00

As in many developing countries, construction projects in Nepal cover huge part of nation’s economy. However, most of the construction undertakings including the road construction do not get completed in targeted time and budgeted cost. It might be because of highly dynamic characteristics of construction projects and various factors involved in their successful completion.The aim of this study was to assess the Suitable delay minimizing measures based on Selected Road and Bridge Projects in Various Geographical Regions of Nepal. Exploring the corrective measures to mitigate the problem of delay in construction contracts in road and bridge projects was also an objective of the study. Primary data for this was obtained by using the research tool known as Key Informant Interview (KII). Superintendent engineers, senior divisional engineers and engineers who had extensive knowledge in the project execution of similar projects were selected as key informants. A checklist was prepared and distributed to them for their responses The responses obtained through KII were analyzed. Relative Importance Index (RII) was calculated to find out the effective delay minimizing measures. The most effective delay minimizing measure was found to be penalizing the contractors for unreasonable delay of contracts. Setting contract duration according to the size of contract amount and considering geographical location while setting the contract duration were also rated as highly effective measures. Likewise host of other measures like improving bid capacity evaluation criteria, awarding contracts to middle order bidders for minimizing tendency of low bidding, slicing contracts into smaller packages, accuracy in fixing work scope to avoid design revisions, setting time limits on the basis of the affecting factors, solving land accusation issues prior to project execution were also identified as viable measures to avoid contract delays.

Performance Assessment of a Signalized Intersection: A Case Study of Gandak Intersection of Birgunj, Nepal

2023-11-29T07:59:11+00:00

Tribhuvan Highway and Birgunj Bypass Road converge to form the Gandak intersection which is situated at Birgunj Metropolitan City, Nepal. The study aims to provide an overview of the existing scenario for the Gandak intersection along with the measures to enhance the performance of the intersection. With the help of the data collected, the current condition of the Gandak intersection is known. Further, SIDRA Intersection 8.0, a traffic analysis tool, is utilized to model the environment and traffic flow parameters for the calibration and validation of the intersection. The performance assessment for the field data as well as the program-generated data is carried out keeping the level of service, average delay, and queue length under consideration. To enhance the performance of the intersection, the practical signal timing was replaced with that of the software-generated timing that increased the LOS of the intersection from E to D along with a 42% decrease in average delay and a 20% decrease in the back of queue.

BIM Integrated Drone Technology for Monitoring Construction Sites: A Case Study at Public Buildings

2024-02-09T11:29:34+00:00

In the existing scenario, 10-18% of construction companies in India utilize Building Information Modeling (BIM) for effective and efficient utilization of man and material resources for their projects. The reason behind the scene would be the centralization of data and collaboration among stakeholders to eliminate errors. Interestingly, the construction industry witnessed a 239% increase in the adoption of drone technology which could be integrated with BIM and hence ripe the benefits of Construction 4.0. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are utilized in the construction industry for progress monitoring and procuring output information such as 3D models, volumetric calculations of materials at construction sites by utilizing the high-definition images post-processed by Context Capture Software. In the present research work, hospital and education buildings are monitored using drone technology and processed to obtain volumetric calculations of sand such as area, perimeter, cut volume, fill volume and measuring the top surface area and perimeter of the building. 3D models were created that could help the stakeholders to understand the gap between the planning and execution phase in a better mode that could save time whilst maintaining material and man resources, especially at Indian construction sites.

Impact of Thermal Retrofits for Roofs on Energy Efficiency of Residential Buildings in India

2024-02-09T11:40:15+00:00

This study focuses on energy analysis of a residential building in India with several retrofits for roofs that have been implemented with the goal of reducing cooling demands and so aiding in energy conservation. Because the roof absorbs a large portion of the energy absorbed into a building, the use of cool roofing and insulating materials reduces the amount of heat energy absorbed significantly. Cool roofing and insulating materials are specifically designed with thermal parameters in mind. The aim of this study is to analyse the reduction in Energy use of residential buildings by using cool roofs and insulating materials in four different climate zones across India. Energy Plus, a well-known energy analysis software, was used to calculate the Energy Use Intensity (EUI) value in a building with cool roofs and insulating materials installed. EUI is an indicator used to measure the energy efficiency of a building. Input to the energy model consisted of a detailed description of the floor plan of the building being analysed including hourly scheduling of occupants, lighting, equipment, and thermostat settings. In addition, this study discusses the comparative analysis of EUI value for the residential building with different retrofits for roofs in four different climate zones across India.

Cold Bituminous Mix: A Sustainable Pavement Construction Technology

2024-02-09T11:45:59+00:00

Road agencies and pavement researchers have been trying to achieve sustainable pavement construction in recent years. Transportation professionals must incorporate green concepts into planning, design, construction, and operation as a result of growing public awareness regarding climate change. Cold bituminous mix (CBM) offers various advantages compared to hot mix asphalt (HMA) in terms of safety by the absence of heating in production and application, the efficiency of fuel, non-emission of greenhouse gasses, and ease of laying the paving mix in any climatic conditions, it has received a little attention and is thought to perform less than hot bituminous mix. Research and field applications of CBM have also been partially demonstrated. However, in consideration of environmental constraints, attention should be placed on the growth of sustainability in the construction of pavements, such as cold bituminous mix technology. This can include the use of naturally mined resources and reducing the influence on the environment of pavement industries as well as their carbon footprint. The major factors of several studies on CBM have been altered by the addition of active filler, chemicals, fibres, and various waste materials from various industries to increase the performance of CBM and make it correspond to HMA performance. The present study also discusses the benefits, challenges, and elements that support effective CBM applications, as well as future potential areas for CBM applications in pavement research.