SMEs and Level 2 BIM, the Way Forward

The UK construction industry comprises a very high proportion of SMEs that is companies employing up to 250. A Department for Business, Innovation and Skills research paper, found that SMEs had a 71.2% share of work in the construction industry. Micro and small firms (i.e. those employing up to 50) had a share of 46.7% of work (Ive and Murray 2013). The Government has high ambitions for UK construction. Having been found by successive government commissioned studies to be inefficient and highly fragmented, ambitious targets have been set for the industry to achieve 33% reduction in costs and 50% faster delivery by 2025. As a significant construction client, the Government has mandated the use of Level 2 BIM from 2016 on publicly funded projects over £5 million. The adoption of BIM plays a key role in the 2025 vision but a lack of clarity persists in the industry over BIM and significant barriers are perceived to its implementation, particularly amongst SMEs. However, industry wide transformation will be challenging without serious consideration of the capabilities of this large majority. Many larger firms, having implemented Level 2 BIM are now working towards Level 3 BIM while many of the smaller firms in the industry have not even heard of BIM. It would seem that fears of a ‘two tier’ industry are perhaps being realised. This paper builds on an earlier one (Mellon & Kouider 2014) and investigates, through field work, the level of Level 2 BIM implementation amongst SMEs compared to a large organisation. Challenges and innovative solutions identified through collected data are fully discussed and compared. It is suggested that where the SME perceives barriers towards adoption of the technologies which underpin BIM, they may consider collaborative methods of working as an interim step in order to work towards realising the efficiencies and benefits that these methods can yield. While the barriers to adoption of BIM are significant, it is suggested that they are not insurmountable for the SME and some recommendations for possible solutions are made.

The Impact of BIM on the Distribution of Cost and Return on Investment in UK Construction Projects

It has been widely documented that when Building Information Modelling (BIM) is used, there is a shift in effort to the design phase. Little investigation into the impact of this shift in effort has been done and how it impacts on costs. It can be difficult to justify the increased expenditure on BIM in a market that is heavily driven by costs. There are currently studies attempting to quantify the return on investment (ROI) for BIM for which these returns can be seen to balance out the shift in efforts and costs to the design phase. The studies however quantify the ROI based on the individual stakeholder’s investment without consideration for the impact that the use of BIM from their project partners may have on their own profitability. In this study, a questionnaire investigated opinions and experience of construction professionals, representing clients, consultants, designers and contractors, to determine fluctuations in costs by their magnitude and when they occur. These factors were examined more closely by interviewing senior members representing each of the stakeholder categories and comparing their experience in using BIM within environments where their project partners were also using BIM and when they were not. This determined the differences in how the use and the investment in BIM impacts on others and how costs are redistributed. This redistribution is not just through time but also between stakeholders and categories of costs. Some of these cost fluctuations and how the cost of BIM is currently financed are also highlighted in several case studies. The results show that the current distribution of costs set for traditional 2D delivery is hindering the potential success of BIM. There is also evidence that stakeholders who don’t use BIM may benefit financially from the BIM use of others and that collaborative BIM is significantly different to the use of ‘lonely’ BIM in terms of benefits and profitability.

How to measure healthiness in buildings: Experiences in teaching with BIM tools

Introducing teaching about healthy solutions in buildings and BIM has been a challenge for the University of Alicante. Teaching attached to very tighten study plans conditioned the types of methods that could be used in the past. The worldwide situation of crisis that especially reached Spain and the bursting of the housing bubble generated a lack of employment that reached universities where careers related to construction, Architecture and Architectural Technologist, suffered a huge reduction in the number of students enrolled. In the case of the University of Alicante, students’ enrolment for Architectural Technology reached an 80% reduction. The necessity of a reaction against this situation made the teachers be innovative and use the new Bologna adapted study plans to develop new teaching experiences introducing new concepts: people wellbeing in buildings and BIM. Working with healthy solutions in buildings provided new approaches for building design and construction as an alternative to sustainability. For many years sustainability was the concept that applied to housing gave buildings an added value and the possibility of having viability in a very complex scenario. But after lots of experiences, the approved methodologies for obtaining sustainable housing were ambiguous and at the end, investors, designers, constructors and purchasers cannot find real and validated criteria for obtaining an effective sustainable house. It was the moment to work with new ideas and concepts and start facing buildings from the users’ point of view. At the same time the development of new tools, BIM, has opened a wide range of opportunities, innovative and suggestive, that allows simulation and evaluation of many building factors. This paper describes the research in teaching developed by the University of Alicante to adapt the current study plans, introducing work with healthy solutions in buildings and the use of BIM, with the aim of attracting students by improving their future employability. Pilot experiences have been carried out in different subjects based on the work with projects and case studies under an international frame with the cooperation of different European partner universities. The use of BIM tools, introduced in 2014, solved the problems that appeared in some subjects, mainly building construction, and helped with the evaluation of some healthy concepts that presented difficulties until this moment as knowledge acquired by the students was hard to be evaluated. The introduction of BIM tools: Vasari, FormIt, Revit and Light Control among others, allowed the study of precise healthy concepts and provided the students a real understand of how these different parameters can condition a healthy architectural space. The analysis of the results showed a clear acceptance by the students and gave teachers the possibility of opening new research lines. At the same time, working with BIM tools to obtain healthy solutions in building has been a good option to improve students’ employability as building market in Spain is increasing the number of specialists in BIM with a wider knowledge.

A novel plant toxin, persin, with in vivo activity in the mammary gland, induces Bim-dependent apoptosis in human breast cancer cells

Phytochemicals have provided an abundant and effective source of therapeutics for the treatment of cancer. Here we describe the characterization of a novel plant toxin, persin, with in vivo activity in the mammary gland and a p53-, estrogen receptor-, and Bcl-2-independent mode of action. Persin was previously identified from avocado leaves as the toxic principle responsible for mammary gland-specific necrosis and apoptosis in lactating livestock. Here we used a lactating mouse model to confirm that persin has a similar cytotoxicity for the lactating mammary epithelium. Further in vitro studies in a panel of human breast cancer cell lines show that persin selectively induces a G(2)-M cell cycle arrest and caspase-dependent apoptosis in sensitive cells. The latter is dependent on expression of the BH3-only protein Bim. Bim is a sensor of cytoskeletal integrity, and there is evidence that unique structure of the compound, persin could represent a novel class of microtubule-targeting agent with potential specificity for breast cancers.

건설 프로젝트 프로세스 관리 효율화를 위한 영국과 미국의 BIM 현황 분석

World-wide efforts have been made to adopt BIM (Building Information Modelling) to improve the efficiency of construction project management processes lively. BIM means a shared digitized expression which provides a reliable source to make an informed decision over a physical or a functional character across all construction sectors including design, civil engineering and plant construction. The Korean Public Procurement Service mandates to use BIM for over 50 billion won public construction projects from 2012, and this will be extended to every project initiated by the Korean Public Procurement Service from 2016. This paper aims not only to investigate potential barriers which can be faced at the initial stage of BIM adoption, but also to explore possible solutions against them. For doing this, the BIM utilization strategies and action plans by US and UK public sectors which adopt BIM earlier than Korea were analysed. Based on the results of comparative analysis between US and UK, the proper guideline for BIM adoption in Korea will be suggested.

Essential BIM input data study for housing refurbishment:homeowners’ preferences in the UK

Construction customers are persistently seeking to achieve sustainability and maximize value as sustainability has become a major consideration in the construction industry. In particular, it is essential to refurbish a whole house to achieve the sustainability agenda of 80% CO2 reduction by 2050 as the housing sector accounts for 28% of the total UK CO2 emission. However, whole house refurbishment seems to be challenging due to the highly fragmented nature of construction practice, which makes the integration of diverse information throughout the project lifecycle difficult. Consequently, Building Information Modeling (BIM) is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore in order to manage construction projects in a collaborative manner, although the current uptake of the housing sector is low at 25%. This research aims to investigate homeowners’ decision making factors for housing refurbishment projects and to provide a valuable dataset as an essential input to BIM for such projects. One-hundred and twelve homeowners and 39 construction professionals involved in UK housing refurbishment were surveyed. It was revealed that homeowners value initial cost more while construction professionals value thermal performance. The results supported that homeowners and professionals both considered the first priority to be roof refurbishment. This research revealed that BIM requires a proper BIM dataset and objects for housing refurbishment.

Integração de projetos no ensino através de BIM: uma abordagem dos cursos de arquitetura e urbanismo da UFRN e da UFPB

The integration between architectural design and structur al systems consi sts, in academic education, one of the main challenges to the architectural design education . Recent studies point to the relevance of the use of computational tools in academic settings as an important strategy for such integration. Although in recent yea rs teaching experience using BIM (BuildingInformationModeling) may be incorporated by the a rchitecture schools , notes the need for further didactic and pedagogical practices that promote the architectural design and structur al integration teaching. This pa per analyzes experiences developed within the UFRN and UFPB, seeking to identify tools, processes and products used, pointing limitations and potentials in subjects taught in these institutions. The research begins with a literature review on teaching BIM and related aspects to the integration of architectural design and stru c tur e . It has been used as data collection techniques in studio the direct observation, the use of questionnaires and interviews with students and teachers, and mixed method, qualitativ e and quantitative analysis . In UFRN, the scope of the Integrated Workshop as a compulsory subject in the curriculum, favors the integration of disciplines studied here as it allows teachers from different disciplines at the same project studio . Regarding the use of BIM form initial users, BIM modelers, able to extract quantitative and automatically speed up production, gaining in quality in the products, however learn the tool and design in parallel cause some difficulties. UFPB, lack of required courses o n BIM, generates lack of knowledge and confidence in using the tool and processes, by most students. Thus we see the need for greater efforts by school to adopt BIM skills and training. There is a greater need for both BIM concept, in order to promote BIM process and consequent better use of tools, and obsolete avoiding impairment of technology, merely a tool. It is considered the inclusion of specific subjects with more advanced BIM skills, through partnerships with engineering degrees and the promotion of trans disciplinary integration favoring the exchange of different cultures from the academic environment.

Normalização de eletromiografia de superfície dos músculos respiratórios em sujeitos saudáveis: contração voluntária máxima máxima isométrica versus pressões respiratórias máximas

Aim : To evaluate and to standardize surface electromyography (sEMG) normalization procedures for respiratory muscles by comparing muscle activation during Maximal Voluntary Isometric Contraction (MVIC) and Maximal Respiratory Pressures (MIP, MEP and sniff test). Methods: Healthy subjects were evalua ted regarding demographics, spirometry and sEMG during the five maneuvers: sniff test, MIP , MEP and Maximal Voluntary Isometric C ontraction (MVIC) of RA, SCM and SC A . For electrode placement, skin was prepared with abrasion, followed by shaving in the foll owing regions for acquisition of el ectromyographic signals: (1) SC M: lower third of the distance between the mastoid process and t he sternoclavicular joint; (2) SC A : 5 cm to the right from the sternoclavicular joint and at this point, up to 2 cm; and (3 ) RA: the level of umbilicus, 4 cm to the right. In electromyographic variables analysis , the data normality was assessed by Shapiro - Wilk test. Comparisons among studied maneuvers were performed by Friedman Test and Dunn’s post - hoc for multiple comparisons a mong inspiratory maneuvers, and Mann Whitney test for expiratory maneuvers. Subgroups differences between genders were performed by Student's t test or Mann - Whitney test according to data normality. Results: 35 subjects participated in the study, b ut 5 we re excluded (BMI> 25 kg/ m²). Sample consisted of 30 subjects (1 5 women), mean age 27.3±7.43 years, BMI 22.2 ± 1.69 kg/m² and spirometric indices within normal limits. Specific MVIC for SCM, SCA and RA showed the highest RMS. When we grouped sample into gender we found no difference among RMS values for the studied SCM maneuvers, while for SCA, MVIC SCM / SCA was the one with the highest RMS and for RA, MVIC RA in men. Once considering women, MVIC SCM/SCA showed the highest RMS for SCM, SCA and MVIC RA showed t he highest value for RA. Conclusion: MVIC for SCM, SCA and RA muscles showed the highest RMS values. When comparing RMS between the studied groups, there was no significant difference between men and women.

Normalização de dispositivos móveis no processo de aprendizagem de inglês : um estudo à luz da complexidade

We live in a world inherently influenced by technology and in which education is immersed in realities made possible by the support of digital technologies, such as electronic mobile devices. Thus, the general aim of this study lies in mapping and analysing the influence of mobile devices on teaching, especially with reference to learning the English language. The specific aims are to investigate how the use of mobile devices is present in the research participants’ practices, consider whether such use is beneficial, according to the students, to the English language learning as well as mapping how the use of mobile devices favours the normalisation stage, taken in this research as a complex process.The theoretical background of this study includes the premises of the Paradigm of Complexity, especially concerning the acquisition of a second language, as well as the precepts of Normalisation, which is related to the total integration of digital technologies into the English teaching and learning process in such a way that they become invisible, and the theories of language learning mediated by computers and mobile devices. Methodologically, this is an ethnographic qualitative research and its context is a language institute located in the Triângulo Mineiro region. In addition to students from five groups in the institution, two teachers and an administrative assistant participated in the survey. Data was collected through an online questionnaire, learning reports produced by students and interviews with teachers and administrative staff. The analyses indicate that mobile devices are present in the daily practices of English learners, but these uses, in most cases, are carried out through the teacher's encouragement. Moreover, despite having positive sayings on the role of digital technologies in the process of English teaching and learning, there is, among students and teachers, a dichotomy between saying and doing about the learning contexts considered valid. Additionally, the use of mobile devices in the English learning process is not yet established as a normalised issue because the process of integration of technology in teaching is still ruled by traditional uses of the technology. I conclude that the use of mobile devices in the English learning process is still not normalised, because even if students use their mobile devices every day, they generally do not realize the affordances of such use as possibilities to learn English.

Building Information Modeling (BIM)

Los procesos de diseño y construcción tradicionales de la industria de la construcción que se han conservado inalterados durante años, han impedido vislumbrar los impactos positivos que se pueden dar al trabajar en conjunto con las tecnologías de información -- El miedo al cambio hace que las empresas del sector denominen “normal” a la fragmentación del proceso constructivo, y presupuesten desde el inicio de la obra atrasos por incompatibilidades en los diseños causados principalmente por la falta de comunicación y coordinación entre los diferentes participantes del proyecto -- La implementación de tecnologías de información busca no sólo ayudar como una herramienta a los diseños del proyecto, sino que también ofrece elementos para integrar a los participantes y contratistas del proyecto en un equipo de trabajo donde exista mayor interoperabilidad entre las áreas implicadas en el planteamiento, diseño y ejecución del proyecto, y se pueda disminuir de sobremanera la fragmentación que vuelve tan poco competitiva esta industria a nivel mundial -- En el presente trabajo de grado se realizó un estado del arte de la tecnología de información BIM con el fin de sintetizar las enormes cantidades de información disponibles y de posibilitar una mejor comprensión de este -- Con la teoría y los manuales estudiados a profundidad de los software que componen esta tecnología, se procedió a desarrollar un ejercicio exploratorio confrontando los conocimientos adquiridos teóricos con la parte práctica, parte en donde se pudieron vislumbrar las ventajas y desventajas al implementar este software en la industria de la construcción de nuestro país -- Finalmente se exponen los requerimientos y limitaciones que trae consigo la aplicación de esta tecnología a los proyectos de construcción

Análise de riscos toxicológicos e ambientais na exposição ocupacional aos resíduos de armas de fogo (GSR/ firing ranges): uma proposta de normalização

Tese (Doutorado em Tecnologia Nuclear)

Detecção e análise de áreas queimadas por meio da normalização de séries temporais MODIS na região do Jalapão

Dissertação (mestrado)—Universidade de Brasília, Instituto de Ciências Humanas, Departamento de Geografia, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Geografia, 2015.

O papel das construtoras e incorporadoras na adoção da tecnologia BIM na indústria da construção no Brasil : um estudo prospectivo

Dissertação (mestrado)—Universidade de Brasília, Faculdade de Arquitetura e Urbanismo, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Arquitetura e Urbanismo, 2015.