SOLAIRE WHEATON

 

LOCATION: WHEATON, MD 20902

KEVIN MARTYN

CONSTRUCTION OPTION

Image Courtesy of Washington Property Company

 

 

THESIS PROPOSAL

REVISED THESIS PROPOSAL

FEBRUARY 5TH, 2014

ANALYSIS 1: SELF-WRITTEN VS. FORM CONTRACT WEATHER CLAUSE

Contract clause ambiguity in the owner contractor agreement was expressed by the project team as a challenge, particularly the weather clause. This analysis will interpret the self-written weather clause to that of form contracts in an effort to determine the most practical contract language. A recommendation will then be made to change the contract language to eliminate the ambiguities.



ANALSYSIS 2: CRITICAL INDUSTRY ISSUE: SITE SPECIFIC SAFETY ORIENTATION


The critical industry issue of site specific safety orientation will be the topic of the second analysis, which investigates current approaches to safety orientation. The generic training videos and lengthy site specific safety plan documents are unable to effectively inform workers of the hazards they will encounter and their locations within the jobsite. The use of building information modeling will provide a more effective means of presenting safety information, as 83% of what we learn derives from what we see. This analysis will investigate effective ways to add value to the project safety orientation though the use of building information modeling.



ANALYSIS 3: MODULARIZATION

With competing developers building apartments nearby, the main goal of the owner is to finish as soon as possible and sign lease agreements. Had there been a way to accelerate the schedule, the owner most likely would have approved the process, even with a potential cost increase. This analysis will determine the feasibility of implementing modularization on the Solaire Wheaton project. The podium structure design allows for the wood framed units to be constructed off-site and concurrent with foundation and reinforced concrete work. This construction method should reduce the current construction schedule by several weeks while providing a safer means of construction and less material waste.

REVISED THESIS PROPOSAL

JANUARY 17TH, 2014



ANALYSIS 4: SIPS FOR INTERIOR FINISHES

Phase two of the project involves completing the interior finishes on floors three through six, while the building is potentially occupied. For obvious reasons, the contractor would like to turnover this phase as quickly as possible. The critical path method for scheduling does not provide a predictable schedule duration and is typically not met by contractors. Short interval production scheduling is a scheduling technique that is derived from accurate production rates, and therefore is more easily attainable. This analysis will implement SIPS on the interior finishes to better plan, manage, and track activities.



ARCHITECTURAL BREADTH

The third analysis to determine the feasibility of modularization on the Solaire project will require an architectural layout redesign. Modularization is most effective on repetitive processes; however, the current design incorporates twenty-one different unit layouts. Performing an architectural breadth to reduce the number of layouts to a single digit number will make modularization more effective. Every effort will be made to preserve the architectural features, particularly the facade projections. A typical floor will be analyzed as floors three through six have the same layout.

The deliverables will be graphical representations of the final unit layouts, a typical floor plan, and elevation renderings to compare the aesthetics in the facade projections.

ORIGINAL THESIS PROPOSAL

DECEMBER 16TH, 2013



STRUCTURAL BREADTH

To aid in determining the plausibility of modularization in analysis three, a structural breadth will analyze the performance of the crane to be used for setting the modular units. Although modular units are typically set using a mobile crane, the site restrictions make this an unlikely possibility. In addition, the tower crane will still be in place from the structural concrete phase. It is presumed that due to the large loads associated with modular units, the tower crane and foundation pad will need to increase in size and strength.

The deliverables for this breadth will be an analysis of the crane reach and strength based on the estimated weight of the modular units. If necessary, the crane will be resized to meet these parameters. This will then be followed by calculations to size the crane foundation pad and its reinforcement.



MAE REQUIREMENTS

The knowledge acquired through the construction integrated masters program has guided the analysis selection process and will provide resources for completing each analysis. Knowledge of construction and engineering law learned through the AE 598D course will aid in the first analysis. The course, known as Legal Aspects of Engineering and Construction, dealt heavily with design and construction contracts. Lessons in delay clauses will relate directly to the weather clause analysis.

The AE 570 course, better known as Production Management in Construction, will be applicable to both the third and fourth analyses. The third analysis of modularization was formed through modularization techniques learned through the AE 570 course. Modular case studies and technical reports in this course will aid in the research and implementation of modular construction. The fourth analysis of short interval production scheduling was also a concept learned through AE 570. The Pentagon Renovation project was presented in this class and is the model for the implementation of SIPS on the Solaire Wheaton project.

As part of the mechanical breadth, the study of the enclosure details will involve lessons from the AE 542 course, also known as Building Enclosure Science and Design.

 
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This page was last updated on 1-17-14, by Kevin Martyn and is hosted by the AE Department ©2014