Clifton B. Farnsworth

Application, Advantages, and Methods Associated with Using BIM in Commercial Construction

Building information modeling (BIM) has become an integral part of commercial construction processes in recent years. This article summarizes a research study undertaken to explore the frequency of BIM application, the advantages and effects of using BIM, and various other methods associated with developing and using BIM models in commercial construction. Executive, mid-management, and BIM practitioner-level employees from eighteen leading commercial general contracting firms (with regard to BIM use) were surveyed to determine how their companies utilized BIM. Thirty-two different applications of BIM use were identified for commercial construction, and those most commonly utilized included clash detection, 3-D modeling, team collaboration, constructability issues of design, and sales. Communication, scheduling, coordination, visualization, and clash detection were identified as the top advantages of using BIM. Regarding the effects of using BIM, companies reported a positive impact on profitability, time of construction, and marketing. Finally, this article discusses various processes for using BIM, how models were used internally and with trade partners, and the decisions affecting BIM use by leading commercial contractors.

Effects of CM/GC Project Delivery on Managing Process Risk in Transportation Construction

AbstractTeams that deliver complex transportation construction projects need tools that manage risk and allow for successful delivery. Construction manager/general contractor (CM/GC) project delivery is an alternative method that furnishes public agencies with an attractive option for delivering projects in a less adversarial and more constructive manner by involving the contractor during the design phase. This paper identifies the effects of CM/GC delivery on construction process risk. Owners, contractors, and design engineers with sizable CM/GC experience on transportation-related projects were surveyed to identify differences in the perception of CM/GC processes, especially compared to design-build and design-bid-build project delivery methods. The perceived benefits and disadvantages regarding quality, schedule, cost control, and collaboration/flexibility are discussed. The benefits include strategies for robust process risk management and successful project delivery, while the disadvantages expose ba...

Strategies Employed and Lessons Learned by Commercial Construction Companies during Economic Recession and Recovery

AbstractThe purpose of this research was to identify strategies used and lessons learned by western U.S. commercial construction companies during the great recession (2007–2009). The experience gai...

Estimation of Time Rate of Settlement for Multilayered Clays Undergoing Radial Drainage

This paper demonstrates how the finite difference technique can be used to estimate the time rate of settlement for soft, compressible clayey soils treated with prefabricated vertical drains at sites where primary consolidation settlement is occurring in a multilayered system at varying rates. Semiempirical methods based on surface settlement monitoring have typically been used to estimate the progression of primary consolidation settlement. However, interpretation of such methods can be problematic for multilayered soil profiles. For such sites, it is crucial to obtain a reasonable characterization of the foundation soils’ horizontal drainage properties and include these estimates in the time rate of settlement projections. Field monitoring of subsurface instrumentation is extremely valuable in providing additional information about the consolidation behavior of different layers. When subsurface field measurements are coupled with the proposed numerical method, far more reliable projections are obtained. This paper focuses on how to integrate field and laboratory data with projections of time rate of settlement obtained from semiempirical and finite difference methods to predict more accurately the time rate of consolidation behavior of multilayered foundation soils.

Performance of lime cement-stabilized soils for the I-15 reconstruction project: Salt Lake City, Utah

The application and performance monitoring of lime cement stabilization were studied for the Interstate-15 Reconstruction Project at 300 West Street in Salt Lake City, Utah. Lime cement columns (LCCs) were used to support a large mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) wall constructed over soft foundation soils and in close proximity to a commercial building. The Utah Department of Transportation has installed instrumentation at this site to measure the construction and postconstruction deformation within the treated zone and around the adjacent building. Also, total pressure cells have been installed atop the treated zone and in an adjacent untreated area to measure differences in load transfer. The use of LCC-stabilized soil has reduced the amount of primary settlement from about 1 m without treatment to about 0.2 m in the treated zone. Ground settlement at the nearest wall of the adjacent building has been about 5 cm total during a 2.5-year monitoring period with 3 of the 5 cm occurring during MSE wall construction and surcharge placement. Also, measurements indicate that the global stability of the MSE wall foundation has been notably improved. It is hoped that the data gathered from this array will provide a valuable case history of LCC performance for evaluation and modeling.

Use of Personality Profile Assessments in the U.S. Commercial Construction Industry

ABSTRACT Employee turnover is a continuing challenge in the construction industry with negative effects on construction companies. Other industries have begun using personality profile assessments as a tool for reducing employee turnover, and more specifically in their hiring, promoting, team building, and leadership development processes. However, it was unknown if this trend was effecting the construction industry. The purpose of this research was to determine if and how U.S. commercial construction companies utilize personality profiles in their employee retention processes. A survey was randomly sent to 235 of the top 400 commercial construction companies in the United States to determine if these companies were using assessments, and if it had any effect on the turnover within these companies. Interviews were conducted over the phone with human resources representatives from these companies, and responses were sorted into similar themes and ideas using qualitative pattern coding techniques. Of the 78 responding companies, one-third were using employee personality profiles within their business practices. This article reports the experiences and general attitudes for both the companies that do and do not utilize personality profiles. The results of this research provides strong evidence that using personality profile assessments can help construction companies reduce employee turnover.

Comparison of Methodologies for Establishing Design Properties of Horizontal Drainage in Soft Cohesive Soils

Estimating the rate of settlement for foundation soils treated with vertical drains requires an understanding of the horizontal drainage behavior of the soil, because the time of consolidation settlement may be critical to the overall construction schedule and sequencing. This paper provides a case study comparison of the results of methodologies associated with obtaining design parameters for horizontal drainage for use with vertical drain design, including backcalculation of field settlement data, cone penetrometer testing for pore pressure dissipation, and laboratory Rowe cell testing, by means of the soft, cohesive Lake Bonneville soil deposits in Salt Lake City, Utah. Each of these methodologies has an inherent set of strengths and limitations that should be considered when vertical drains are being designed or time of consolidation settlement is being estimated. Backcalculation of field performance data is effective in identifying true in situ settlement behavior but is not always feasible. Rowe cel...

Using a Rowe Cell to Establish Horizontal Drainage Properties of Soft Soils

When estimating the time-rate of settlement for foundation soils treated with vertical drains, understanding the horizontal drainage behavior of the soil is important because the time of consolidation settlement may be critical to the overall construction schedule and sequencing. This paper explains the process for obtaining the horizontal properties of soft soils in the laboratory using a Rowe cell, a laboratory device that directly measures the horizontal drainage of soft soil samples through a radial consolidation test. The Rowe cell further allows for back-saturation of test specimens and the ability to replicate in situ lateral stress conditions with an applied cell pressure. This paper summarizes how challenges associated with specimen preparation, test setup and procedure, and data analysis and interpretation can be overcome. Finally, this paper demonstrates that this is a viable method that should be considered more often for obtaining horizontal drainage design parameters.