Concrete Estimate Construction Template

Concrete Estimate template is designed to assist in taking-off a variety of concrete applications, such as, Footings, Thickened Edge Footings, Concrete Walls, Columns and Paving.

It generates take-off quantities automatically based on the information the user inputs into the various template form fields. For example, the template will calculate the amount of steel reinforcing in tons for any given application.

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Published By

Tuhin Maity

www.quantity-takeoff.com

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Signs to Know You Need Construction Management Software

It is a known fact that capital projects are more complex and hence, while using construction management software, it is very important to ensure that it is the right solution for the project. The rise in the complexity of projects are due t various factors like incorporating advanced construction and engineering methods, increasing material & labor costs, sophisticated workforce, and bigger expectations of built assets.

The project teams are larger now, as the team members come from various organizations and work together and share project information and processes in a controlled environment, which leads to higher project risk and difficulty to manage. The project team members now have more project information to process, various RFIs and other communications among themselves and more documents and drawings, multi-dimensional models, with BIM gaining momentum around the globe. This requires rigorous management and any error can lead to adverse consequences, affecting delivery schedules, budgets and margins.

Given below are 13 indicators that would help to assess the current level of project control and would suggest if the construction management software used provides the correct solution to manage the complexity of projects-

• RFIs take several weeks or months to process through to closure
• Design reviews drag out as the clashes are not detected and resolved immediately
• The project team works with incomplete and inaccurate documents that are not updated as well
• The project team does not receive significant emails and fails to respond in time
• Limited or no visibility of the activities of the project team
• Project workflows break down, which cannot be detected until deadlines are missed
• Field inspections lead to an enormous paper work due to unresolved issues
• At the end of each project, the handover of operation and maintenance manuals are haphazard
• Project information cannot be located whenever required
• Key milestones in project schedules miss
• Incurring additional project costs and running over budget
• Built assets have quality and operational issues
• Projects have more excuses and conflicts than on-time deliverables

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Published By

Tuhin Maity

www.quantity-takeoff.com

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Balancing Risk and Cost to Make Projects Survive Severe Weather

Buildings collapsing due to storms, heavy rainfall, floods and other natural calamities highlight the significance of the steps that require to be incorporated in building projects that can actually withstand and survive severe weather conditions. Contractors need to focus on the precautionary steps that must be taken in order to protect buildings from natural hazards.

It is important to invest money on the prevention measures than at remedial works after a calamity. Just as Network Rail that has been asked by the Office of Rail Regulation to make sure that each region of the UK offers climate resilience plan by September this year, it is essential that proper plan is followed and remedial factors are focused. According to the Highways Agency, preventive measures are a priority now in relation to climate change adaptation.

The precautionary measures should strike a balance between risk and cost. It is of course a matter of debate as to check the probability of an event to take expensive preventive steps or the same expense should be invested elsewhere. With the increasing problem of heavy rain and floods recently, clients want to ensure the safety and protect their assets.

Contractors can take various steps to help-out clients. For an attractive bid, contractors should make it clear to the potential client that the whole-life cost of a project has been calculated and the weather conditions have been modeled and considered.

They can also set their business apart by offering advice on strengthening all kinds of construction projects against adverse weather conditions. Thus they can leave behind a legacy for the future generation with a bridge, rail, road, infrastructure system etc. that have survived the worst weather conditions.

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Published By

Tuhin Maity

www.quantity-takeoff.com

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The world’s most leading Construction Projects awaiting to be completed in near future

Project: Puerto La Cruz Refinery Expansion and Upgrade

Location: Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela

Capacity: 214 Mbpd

Cost: $6 Billion

Status: Engineering

Completion: 2016

Scope: The project was undertaken for enlarging the Puerto La Cruz refinery from 180 Mbpd to 214 Mbpd, and reform the units to generate unleaded gasoline and diesel fuel from heavy crude. Technip Claremount will take the responsibility for designing and engineering of the hydrogen reformers.

Project: Sabine Pass LNG terminal

Location: Sabine Pass, Louisiana

Capacity: 25 MMtpy

Cost: $18 Billion

Status: Under Construction

Completion: 2019

Scope: At present the Project is under Phase 1 which involves the construction of 4 LNG trains (out of 6 total). The trains 5 and 6 will be constructed under Phase II. This phase is still under assessment by the US DOE. The initial LNG exports are anticipated to be launched along with completion of Train 1 in mid-2015. It is projected that in 2019 all 6 LNG trains will be ready for use.

Project: Garabogaz Chemical Plant

Location: Garabogaz, Turkmenistan

Capacity: 800 Mtpy

Cost: $10 Billion

Status: Planning

Completion: Undetermined

Scope: Japanese Toyo Engineering Corporation and the consortium of LG International Corporation - Hyundai Engineering Corp. Ltd will be liable for the construction of a gas-chemical complex producing polyethylene and polypropylene.

Project: Socar Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR) Project

Location: Garabogaz, Turkmenistan

Capacity: 800 Mtpy

Cost: $10 Billion

Status: Engineering

Completion: 2017

Scope: The Azerbaijan's state oil fund will spend $475 MM as a financial aid towards the construction of the STAR oil refinery. The design for STAR Refinery will facilitate the progression of various kinds of crude oil like Urals, Azeri Light Crude Oil and Kirkuk.

Project: Coal-to-Olefin (CTO) Project

Location: Ordos, China

Capacity: 800 Mtpy

Cost: $4 Billion

Status: Study

Completion: 2018

Scope: The project was undertaken to obtain the huge amounts of coal China produces and transform the plentiful resource into precious petrochemicals, primarily polyethylene and polypropylene. Besides, the scope of the project is to minimize the amount of imported oil that is utilized as the raw material for producing such products.

Project: Mina Al Ahmadi Refinery Clean Fuels Project 2020

Location: Mina Al Ahmadi, Kuwait

Capacity: 50 Mbpd

Cost: $5 Billion

Status: Feed

Completion: 2017

Scope: The project was initiated to focus and raise refining capacities, enhance the operating performances and the energy efficiency of the refineries, upgrade KNPC's hydrocarbon products production amid the refineries, generate transportation fuels involving small sulfur content and corresponding to Euro 4 standards, decrease the carbon dioxide discharges, broaden Kuwait petrochemical portfolio involving new and high added value by-products and close/disassemble the obtainable Shuaiba refinery.

Project: Kitimat LNG Terminal Project

Location: Kitimat, British Columbia (Canada)

Capacity: 10 MMtpy

Cost: $15 Billion

Status: Feed

Completion: 2017

Scope: Kitimat LNG awarded the EPC contract to a joint venture comprised of Fluor and JGC in January 2014. Project includes natural gas liquefaction, LNG storage and marine on-loading facilities. Feed natural gas will be provided by Apache's Horn River and Liard fields in British Columbia. Environmental approvals are in place, as is a 20-year export license from Canada's Government. Apache has spoken of a $US7.9 billion start-up cost for Kitimat's first processing train, with a first production target of 2016.

Project: Ingleside Ethylene Project

Location: Ingleside, Texas

Capacity: 550 Mtpy

Cost: $1.5 Billion

Status: Engineering

Completion: 2017

Scope: The plant is situated at Oxychem's site. The two companies each contain a 50% share in the joint venture. Most of the ethylene formed by the cracker would be utilized by Oxychem to generate vinyl chloride monomer, or VCM, one kind of raw material useful for the production of PVC plastic, which it then would supply to Mexichem.

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published by

Tuhin Maity

www.quantity-takeoff.com

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Resensys’ sensor, a useful construction technology to preserve structural integrity

It is very much important to monitor and maintain the integrity of construction structure. But it is not always possible to detect when should a building/bridge requires any maintenance, repair work to maintain the safety. If engineers are unable to find out the probable red flags, then it becomes difficult to rectify them. It results in disaster.

With the application of realtime, wireless structural health detection system, Resensys' system facilitates engineers to highlight signs of disaster and provides valuable information on the structure. Resensys’ system aids to detect measurable and significant changes within a structure through a series of tiny, networked sensors strategically set up with a structure.

 The system can easily find out the overstrained or deformed, irreversible shifts or transformations inside a structure in order to undertake any repairs or adjustments. Recess sensors contain fairly low maintenance and it has the capability to draw power from ambient light and radio waves. A battery-operated option is also available.

Resensys sensor is becoming very popular among structural engineers for the smooth installation process, long-lasting durability and competitive cost.

For getting more details, visit the following site
www.resensys.com

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Published by Rajib Dey
Content Writer
www.quantity-takeoff.com (An information hub for construction estimating)

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