Construction of 18 Timber Houses in Manchester - Essay Example

CONSTRUCTION OF 18 TIMBER HOUSES IN MANCHESTER PART A Stages of construction Stage A: Appraisal and feasibility In this stage, theproject manager and the client will determine the requirements and objectives of the project. These requirements and objectives will help in providing a clear project design that has to be agreed between the stakeholders and the project team. The requirements at this stage include the client, risk management, feasibility documents of the project, appointment of the project manager, making an estimate of costs and approval of capital funding. The client must be briefed on the total budget of the project. Risk management is necessary in making critical decisions for the project and reducing possible risks within the project. The cost of the entire project must be determined at this stage. Stage B: Design Brief At this stage, the project manager and the client will establish the project board, design brief, value management, and propose how to manage site wastes, outline considerations of planning. The project board is meant to enhance communication between the stakeholders and the management team. The project board will also help in appointing skilled authorities to help in management in every construction stage. The project board will comprise of the user coordinator, senior supplier and the project director. The design brief will give a clear explanation of the project’s objectives and aims. The lead designer must approve the design issues. The pre-construction schedule ensures that every person who participates in the first stages of construction have the essential information they require in protecting their safety and health. Value management is essential in ensuring that the project attains its objectives in the most affordable way possible. Stage C: The concept design This stage investigates the possibility of the options in terms of benefits and costs. This ensures that the most suitable option is chosen based on the client’s needs and the objectives of the project. The process of approval of capital expenditure is constructed around the body of approval. At this stage, the risk register will be established. There is also an undertaking of quantitative risk assessment to support preparation of budget. The project manage must also report the progress of the report to the director of estates on a weekly basis. A planning and application approach will be used in identifying the type of project. The planning consultant must make sure that the strategy document is updated in every stage of the project. The technical advisor will review the project at this stage. Stage D: Development design This stage involves the expansion of the chosen decision for the business solution. Selection for the main system is developed to construct concept design. Consequently, the design elements will be integrated to offer a design solution. Contemplation of the boundaries between various elements is key to effective integration. STAGE E: DETAIL DESIGN This stage helps in development of the specifications and technical design that will be used in coordinating the elements and components of the project and also the info for construction safety and statutory standards. The project manager will also be updating and reviewing the project risk register on a monthly basis. The assessment of quantity risk will be done on a quarterly basis. The project manager will coordinate with the cost manager to offer eventuality cost. A risk specialist for some critical projects will also do risk assessment. At this stage, the project manager will prepare a plan of project handover from the requirements in the technical advisory group. The plan will be allocated to all pertinent parties. This plan will be used in the documentation of the tender. STAGE G-H: THE TENDER This stage involves collation and preparation of tender documents in details to ensure that the tenders are made for the project. It also evaluates and identifies probable specialists or contractors for the project and also appraises and obtains tenders. The project manager will be responsible for updating and reviewing the project risk register and report it on a monthly basis. STAGE F: PRODUCTION INFORMATION At this stage, the development of design is complete and the output is documented and structured as specifications and drawings to procure construction resources, equipment and materials to begin the construction process. The requirements during this stage include value engineering, technical advisor, production info approval, asbestos management and subcontractors. STAGE J-K: CONSTRUCTION This is the stage where the completed design is implemented and turned into a finished product. The deliverables within this stage will be evaluated and tested while taking into consideration the project objectives and the requirements of the customer. The requirements during this stage include safety induction, commissioning and testing, handover. Work Activity Digging the trenches will be the done before the construction process begins. This can either be done by use of machines or manpower (Tang, 2013, p. 56). The method selected for digging will depend on the work size and how significant the work is within a specific period and if there is an appropriate plan within the site during the digging. These contemplations will have to take into consideration the comparison of costs, the requirements of time and the connection to the acute route and possibilities of replacement with regard to various construction systems (Uher & Loosemore, 2014, p.67). At this point, the understanding of the procedures that will be done to construct the buildings, there should be a breakdown of the phases into actions and an assessment of how to conduct the procedures (Stallworthy & Kharbanda, 2012, p.82). Construction of walls, roofs and footpaths The concrete floor slab that will be on the ground within the residential footpaths and the houses will be sealed with a surface finish. There will be a widespread span portal frame. The canopy will be appended from the frame structures (Gould & Joyce, 2011). The entrance lobby will have automated doors. The membrane roof structure will have roof lights of scattered design. The will be a merged cladding to the main residential house elevations. The walling will be made of pre-cast concrete. The roof will be mounted with air conditioning unites and refrigeration units. There will be inclusion of coolers, freezers and bakery and meat preparation sections. The construction site will comprise of HGV access and a car park, related drainage, hard standings, sprinkler tank with an out building, soft landscaping, cooler systems and sections for preparing bakery and meat. Fencing The fencing style that will be used within the site is Heras style, which will be used to improve the security. This will ensure that the public will have an easy viewing of the construction site and reduce the inquisitive nature that is often common within the sites. The targets include site security within the perimeters of the residential houses, ensuring that repair is done punctually to avoid further problems from taking place in cases of vandalism. There will also be access of car wash within the packing areas. The routes of delivering materials in the construction site All the main deliveries to the residential houses will be via the Weybridge road and Cardroom road as shown in the site plan. This will reduce the HGV’s need of negotiating with other smaller roads. The targets include developing a related traffic and construction plan of management, identification of sensitive areas such as homes and schools, development of a map that indicates the trunk roads delivery drivers course to the site (Srikantaiah, Koenig & AL-Hawamdeh, 2012, p.176). Other targets includes prevention of cars from queuing outside the residential areas by putting procedures in place, informing the drivers of restrictions of traffic within and outside the construction site. The drivers must also load and offload their vehicles outside the highway as much as possible. Parking areas for motor vehicles used in construction There will be a provision of enough parking within the construction site border that will acclimate the residents and visitor’s vehicles, which will eradicate the need for parking in places other than the residential areas (Srikantaiah, Koenig & AL-Hawamdeh, 2012, p.121). The proposed residential areas are marked with a thick red line as shown in the appendix, while the areas having car illustrations represents the parking areas. The targets include designating a region of the construction site for the resident’s vehicles. Materials to be used Secure and safe material and plant areas of storage will be used as the site continues to develop. This will be grouped into trade sections and will ease the safe separation materials. There will be a system of permit in place that will be used to issue keys for the plant and all the cars will be secured and locked every evening for security reasons (Srikantaiah, Koenig & AL-Hawamdeh, 2012, p.178). The targets include prevention of stacking any material outside the residential boundary, ensuring that plant and material storage are properly managed, ensuring that that there is no litter or debris that has been blown by the wind leaves the residential boundaries, ensuring that hazardous materials are kept away from the residential areas. Other targets include securing the plants from vandalism, installation of deterrents such as warning and light notes. The local police must also be informed about the site area for security. The fire brigade must be informed for guidance on how to store fuel and other flammable materials within the site Srikantaiah, Koenig & AL-Hawamdeh, 2012, p.183). The right quantity of materials should be ordered to the site to avoid risk of theft and damage. There ought to be an establishment of the form of materials that that will be delivered to ensure appropriate management of space. The right packaging materials must also be selected to ensure secure movement and storage of materials within the construction site. Methods of reducing environmental pollution Limiting the rate of grinding or cutting materials during construction will reduce the dust that comes from the construction site. In cases where it is impossible to avoid cutting or grinding, techniques and equipment to reduce dust will be applied. “Water suppression” will be used to damp down activities that involve land clearing. Sheeting or netting will be used to cover all loaded skips and lorries. The wheels of lorries that leave the site area will be cleaned to avoid spreading dirt or mud on the main road. The team behind the construction of the 18 buildings at Manchester will be committed in implementing the environmental plan of the project to ensure that it is economical, accurate and effective. The team will spend their effort and time in recognizing the various types of waste that the project will produce (Srikantaiah, Koenig & AL-Hawamdeh, 2012, p. 181). The team will also strive to utilize the methods of design that will reduce the waste materials. They will also consider how to recover, recycle and reuse that various waste material that is produced during the project and they will need the principal contractor to assure them of their compliance with the care regime. Recycling of materials The principal contractor will have the responsibility of providing instructions on the suitable methods of re-use, recycling, handling and returns methods that will be used in by all the parties during all the stages of construction. Talks of Todbox will be conducted every month regarding waste materials and subcontractors will attend. This will ensure that all the team members feel part of the team and they are important in every aspect of the project. Waste of surplus materials come from materials that have been brought to the site. Imported materials are those that have been brought to the project to be included for permanent works. Generated materials are those that are existing in the project, for instance, materials, trees, sub-soil and topsoil that come from works that have been demolished (Dinsmore & Cabanis-brewin, 2011, p. 98). There are other contemplation of waste management that include waste disposal, waste segregation, waste reduction, reviewing, education, monitoring and financial effects of waste recording and disposal (Dinsmore & Cabanis-brewin, 2011, p. 101). This plan will outline the procedures that will be used in demonstrating how they are advantageous to the environment and how the practices and procedures are sustainable. A particular region will be labeled to ease the separation of resources for potential return, re-use, salvage and recycling. Bins, skips, waste and recycling are to be marked clearly and kept clean to prevent material contamination. The labeling system will be used as a cord for the waste awareness (Dinsmore & Cabanis-brewin, 2011, p. 121). When the skips are identified, most part of the workforce will deposit the right materials in the right waste or skip. The current skips for segregation include canteen waste, rubble/brick, metal and wood. While the work continue and other trades get to the site, other skips are placed to ensure some wastes are eliminated from the site. These may include plasterboard and paper. Disposal methods The skips must be supervised to make sure that there is no infection of segregated skips. Therefore, it is meant to hold fixed toolbox talks on how the system of management works and mention that the skip that is not contaminated is cheaper compared to the ones that are contaminated (Dinsmore & Cabanis-brewin, 2011, p. 123). The surplus material will continue to be reviewed and the site set up will be changed to maximize the recycling or re-use of landfill. The plan will be considered as part of the agenda during the construction meetings held weekly. The surplus or waste materials fall into the category of landfill, recycled or re-used (Dinsmore & Cabanis-brewin, 2011, p. 147). The 2008 SWMPs regulation sets these categories. Figures of the quantity of recycling and re-use, and this are to be done within or outside the side should be declared when necessary. Waste products classification The waste produced during the project is often classified depending on their degree of damage to the environment and these classes include inert waste, non-hazardous waste and hazardous wastes. Inert wastes are those that hardly harm the environment when they decompose (Uher & Loosemore, 2014, p.73). These waste materials lack hazardous materials that cause any harm to the environment. Examples of inert wastes include biodegradable wastes, metal, food, green wastes, cardboard, paper and timber. Non hazardous wastes are those that have the potential of decomposing thereby exposing to the environment gases such as carbon dioxide and methane. Examples of non hazardous waste materials include biodegradable plastics, metal, food, green wastes, cardboard, paper and timber (Dinsmore & Cabanis-brewin, 2011, p. 167). Hazardous wastes are those are harmful to the environment or human health; for instance, they have the likelihood of causing death, and impairment or injury to human beings. Hazardous waste materials include wastes that are infectious, corrosive, carcinogenic, toxic, irritant, highly flammable, explosive, mutagenic and teratogenic (Clough, 2012). Other forms of hazardous wastes include those that if ingested or inhaled or if they infiltrate the skin may cause limited health risks. Hazardous materials in the construction site Corrosive materials: These are waste materials that consist of preparations and substances that are prone to destroy the living tissue when they get into contact with the human body. Explosive materials are those materials that are vulnerable to explosion when exposed to heat or fire. Flammable materials are those that likely to catch fire easily when exposed to heat. The flash point of these substance ranges from 21 degrees to 55 degrees (Uher & Loosemore, 2014, p.98). Highly flammable materials are those that consist of liquids whose flash point are below 21 degrees, preparations or substances that are highly likely to catch fire when exposed to ambient temperatures or air and gaseous substances that are flammable in normal pressure. Infectious materials are those that contain toxins that can cause human diseases. Oxidizing materials are those that have exothermic properties and examples of these materials are the flammable ones. The site manager will be responsible for observing and monitoring procedure for disposal and management of waste materials. Bibliography CHARTERED INSTITUTE OF BUILDING (GREAT BRITAIN). (2010). Code of practice for project management for construction and development. Chichester, U.K., Wiley-Blackwell. http://site.ebrary.com/id/10522312. Clough, R. H. (2012). Construction project management. New York, Wiley- Interscience. Dinsmore, P. C., & Cabanis-brewin, J. (2011). The AMA handbook of project management. New York, American Management Association. http://www.books24x7.com/marc.asp?bookid=36883. Gould, F. E., & Joyce, N. (2011). Construction project management. Upper Saddle River, N.J., Pearson Prentice Hall. Lock, D. (2014). Project management in construction. Aldershot, Gower. http://site.ebrary.com/id/10211489. PROJECT MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE. (2003). Construction extension to a guide to the project management body of knowledge PMBOK guide. Newtown Square, Pa, Project Management Institute. Srikantaiah, T., Koenig, M. E. D., & AL-Hawamdeh, S. (2012). Convergence of project management and knowledge management. Lanham, Md, Scarecrow Press. http://public.eblib.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=634286. Stallworthy, E. A., & Kharbanda, O. P. (2012). International construction and the role of project management. Aldershot, Hants, England, Gower. Uher, T. E., & Loosemore, M. (2014). Essentials of construction project management. Sydney, UNSW Press. Tang, S. L. (2013). Modern construction project management. Hong Kong, Hong Kong University Press. http://site.ebrary.com/id/10388084. Read More