Unit 12InnovationandTechnological

&EconomicFeasibilityText Theplanningforaconstructionprojectbeginswiththegenerationofconceptsforafacilitywhichwillmeetmarketdemandsandownerneeds.Innovativeconceptsindesignarehighlyvaluednotfortheirownsakebutfortheircontributionstoreducingcostsandtotheimprovementofaesthetics,comfortorconvenienceasembodiedinawell-designedfacility[1].However,theconstructoraswellasthedesignprofessionalsmusthaveanappreciationandfullunderstandingofthetechnologicalcomplexitiesoftenassociatedwithinnovativedesignsinordertoprovideasafeandsoundfacility.Sincetheseconceptsareoftenpreliminaryortentative,screeningstudiesarecarriedouttodeterminetheoveralltechnologicalviabilityandeconomicattractivenesswithoutpursuingtheseconceptsingreatdetail.Becauseoftheambiguityoftheobjectivesandtheuncertaintyofexternalevents,screeningstudiescallforuninhibitedinnovationincreatingnewconceptsandjudiciousjudgmentinselectingtheappropriateonesforfurtherconsideration[2].Oneofthemostimportantaspectsofdesigninnovationisthenecessityofcommunicationinthedesign/constructionpartnership.Inthecaseofbridgedesign,itcanbeillustratedbythefollowingquotationfromLinandGerwickconcerningbridgeconstruction：Text(1)ThegreatpioneeringsteelbridgesoftheUnitedStateswerebuiltbyanopenorcovertalliancebetweendesignersandconstructors.Theturnkeyapproachofdesigner-constructorhasdevelopedandbuiltourchemicalplants,refineries,steelplants,andnuclearpowerplants.Itistimetoask,seriously,whetherwemaynothaveadoptedarestrictiveapproachbydivorcingengineeringandconstructioninthefieldofbridgeconstruction.(2)Ifacontractor-engineer,bysomestrokeofgenius,weretopresenttodesignengineerstodayawonderfulnewschemeforlongspanpre-stressedconcretebridgesthatmadethemfarcheaper,hewouldhavetomaketheseideasavailabletoallotherconstructors,evenlimitingorwateringthemdownsoasto“getagroupoftrulycompetitivebidders”.Theengineerwouldhavetomakesurethathefoundothercontractorstobidagainsttheingeniousinnovator.(3)Ifanengineershould,byasimilarstrokeofgenius,hitonsuchauniqueandbrilliantscheme,hewouldhavetoworry,wonderingifthelowbidderwouldbeonewhohadanyconceptofwhathewastryingtoaccomplishorwasinanywayqualifiedforhighclasstechnicalwork.Text Innovativedesignconceptsmustbetestedfortechnologicalfeasibility.Threelevelsoftechnologyareofspecialconcern:technologicalrequirementsforoperationorproduction,designresourcesandconstructiontechnology.Thefirstreferstothenewtechnologiesthatmaybeintroducedinafacilitywhichisusedforacertaintypeofproductionsuchaschemicalprocessingornuclearpowergeneration[3].Thesecondreferstothedesigncapabilitiesthatareavailabletothedesigners,suchasnewcomputationalmethodsornewmaterials.Thethirdreferstonewtechnologieswhichcanbeadoptedtoconstructthefacility,suchasnewequipmentornewconstructionmethods. Anewfacilitymayinvolvecomplexnewtechnologyforoperationinhostileenvironmentssuchassevereclimateorrestrictedaccessibility.Largeprojectswithunprecedenteddemandsforresourcessuchaslaborsupply,materialandinfrastructuremayalsocallforcarefultechnologicalfeasibilitystudies.Majorelementsinafeasibilitystudyonproductiontechnologyshouldinclude,butarenotlimitedto,thefollowing:①Projecttypeascharacterizedbythetechnologyrequired,suchassyntheticfuels,petrochemicals,nuclearpowerplants,etc.Text②Projectsizeindollars,designengineer’shours,constructionlaborhours,③Design,includingsourcesofanyspecialtechnologywhichrequirelicensingagreements.④Projectlocationwhichmayposeproblemsinenvironmentalprotection,laborproductivityandspecialrisks. Anexampleofinnovativedesignforoperationandproductionistheuseofentropyconceptsforthedesignofintegratedchemicalprocesses.Simplecalculationscanbeusedtoindicatetheminimumenergyrequirementsandtheleastnumberofheatexchangeunitstoachievedesiredobjectives.Theresultisanewincentiveandcriterionfordesignerstoachievemoreeffectivedesigns.Numerousapplicationsofthenewmethodologyhasshownitsefficacyinreducingbothenergycostsandconstructionexpenditures.

Thechoiceofconstructiontechnologyandmethodinvolvesbothstrategicandtacticaldecisions.Forexample,theextenttowhichprefabricatedfacilitycomponentswillbeusedrepresentsastrategicconstructiondecision.Inturn,prefabricationofcomponentsmightbeaccomplishedoff-siteinexistingmanufacturingfacilitiesoratemporary,on-sitefabricationplantmightbeused.TextAnotherexampleofastrategicdecisioniswhethertoinstallmechanicalequipmentinplaceearlyintheconstructionprocessoratanintermediatestage.Strategicdecisionsofthissortshouldbeintegratedwiththeprocessoffacilitydesigninmanycases.Atthetacticallevel,detaileddecisionsabouthowtoaccomplishparticulartasksarerequired,andsuchdecisionscanoftenbemadeinthefield. Constructionplanningshouldbeamajorconcerninthedevelopmentoffacilitydesigns,inthepreparationofcostestimates,andinformingbidsbycontractors.Unfortunately,planningfortheconstructionofafacilityisoftentreatedasanafterthoughtbydesignprofessionals.Thiscontrastswithmanufacturingpracticesinwhichtheassemblyofdevicesisamajorconcernindesign.Designtoinsureeaseofassemblyorconstructionshouldbeamajorconcernofengineersandarchitects.AstheBusinessRoundtablenoted,“Alltoooftenchancestocutscheduletimeandcostsarelostbecauseconstructionoperatesasaproductionprocessseparatedbyachasmfromfinancialplanning,scheduling,andengineeringorarchitecturaldesign.Toomanyengineers,separatedfromfieldexperience,arenotuptodateabouthowtobuildwhattheydesign,orhowtodesignsostructuresandequipmentcanbeerectedmostefficiently.”TextInnovativeuseofstructuralframesforbuildings Thestructuraldesignofskyscrapersoffersanexampleofinnovationinovercomingthebarrierofhighcostsfortallbuildingsbymakinguseofnewdesigncapabilities.Arevolutionaryconceptinskyscraperdesignwasintroducedinthe1960’sbyFazlurKhanwhoarguedthat,forabuildingofagivenheight,thereisanappropriatestructuralsystemwhichwouldproducethemostefficientuseofthematerial. Before1965,mostskyscrapersweresteelrigidframes.However,FazlurKhanbelievedthatitwasuneconomicaltoconstructallofficebuildingsofrigidframes,andproposedanarrayofappropriatestructuralsystemsforsteelbuildingsofspecifiedheights.Bychoosinganappropriatestructuralsystem,anengineercanusestructuralmaterialsmoreefficiently.Forexample,the60-storyChaseManhattanBuildinginNewYorkusedabout60poundspersquarefootofsteelinitsrigidframestructure,whilethe100-storyJohnHancockCenterinChicagousedonly30poundspersquarefootforatrustedtubesystem.AtthetimetheChaseManhattanBuildingwasconstructed,nobracingwasusedtostiffenthecoreofarigidframebuildingbecausedesignengineersdidnothavethecomputingtoolstodothecomplexmathematicalanalysisassociatedwithcorebracing.TextInnovationandEconomicFeasibility Innovationisoftenregardedastheenginewhichcanintroduceconstructioneconomiesandadvancelaborproductivity.Thisisobviouslytrueforcertaintypesofinnovationsinindustrialproductiontechnologies,designcapabilities,andconstructionequipmentandmethods.However,therearealsolimitationsduetotheeconomicinfeasibilityofsuchinnovations,particularlyinthesegmentsofconstructionindustrywhicharemorefragmentedandpermiteaseofentry,asintheconstructionofresidentialhousing.Marketdemandandfirmsizeplayanimportantroleinthisregard.Ifabuilderistoconstructalargernumberofsimilarunitsofbuildings,thecostperunitmaybereduced.Nowhereistheeffectofmarketdemandandtotalcostmoreevidentthaninresidentialhousing.Thehousingsegmentinthelastfewdecadesacceptedmanyinnovativetechnicalimprovementsinbuildingmaterialswhichwerepromotedbymaterialsuppliers.Sincematerialsuppliersprovideproductstoalargenumberofhomebuildersandothers,theyareinabetterpositiontoexploitproductioneconomiesofscaleandtosupportnewproductdevelopment.However,homebuildersthemselveshavenotbeenassuccessfulinmakingthemostfundamentalformofinnovationwhichencompasseschangesinthetechnologicalprocessofhomebuildingbyshiftingthemixtureoflaborandmaterialinputs,suchassubstitutinglargescaleoff-siteprefabricationforon-siteassembly.Text Thereareseveralmajorbarrierstoinnovationinthetechnologicalprocessofhomebuilding,includingdemandinstability,industrialfragmentation,andbuildingcodes.Sincemarketdemandfornewhomesfollowsdemographictrendsandothersocio-economicconditions,thevariationinhomebuildinghasbeenanythingbutregular.Theprofitabilityofthehomebuildingindustryhascloselymatchedaggregateoutputlevels.Sinceentryandexistfromtheindustryarerelativelyeasy,itisnotuncommonduringperiodsofslackdemandtofindbuildersleavingthemarketorsuspendingtheiroperationsuntilbettertimes.Theinconsistentlevelsofretainedearningsoveraperiodofyears,evenamongthemoreestablishedbuilders,arelikelytodiscouragesupportforresearchanddevelopmenteffortswhicharerequiredtonurtureinnovation[4].Furthermore,becausethehomebuildingindustryisfragmentedwithavastmajorityofhomebuildersactiveonlyinlocalregions,thetypicalhomebuilderfindsitexcessivelyexpensivetoexperimentwithnewdesigns.Thepotentialcostsofafailureorevenamoderatelysuccessfulinnovationwouldoutweightheexpectedbenefitsofallbutthemostsuccessfulinnovations.Variationinlocalbuildingcodeshasalsocausedinefficienciesalthoughrepeatedattemptshavebeenmadetostandardizebuildingcodes.Inadditiontothescaleeconomiesvisiblewithinasectoroftheconstructionmarket,therearealsopossibilitiesforscaleeconomiesinindividualfacility.Forexample,therelationshipbetweenthesizeofabuilding(expressedinsquarefeet)andtheinputlabor(expressedinlaborhourspersquarefoot)variesfordifferenttypesandsizesofbuildings.TextUseofnewmaterials Inrecentyears,analmostentirelynewsetofmaterialsisemergingforconstruction,largelyfromtheaerospaceandelectronicsindustries.Thesematerialsweredevelopedfromnewknowledgeaboutthestructureandpropertiesofmaterialsaswellasnewtechniquesforalteringexistingmaterials.Additivestotraditionalmaterialssuchasconcreteandsteelareparticularlyprominent.Forexample,ithasbeenknownforsometimethatpolymerswouldincreaseconcretestrength,waterresistanceandabilitytoinsulatewhentheyareaddedtothecement.However,theirusehasbeenlimitedbytheircostssincetheyhavehadtoreplaceasmuchas10percentofthecementtobeeffective.However,Swedishresearchershavehelpedreducecostsbyusingpolymermicrospheres8millionthsofaninchacross,whichoccupylessthan1percentofthecement.ConcretesmadewiththesemicrospheresmeeteventhestrictstandardsforoffshorestructuresintheNorthSea.Researchonmicro-additiveswillprobablyproduceusefulconcretesforrepairingroadandbridgesaswell.GreenBuildings TheLeadershipinEnergyandEnvironmentalDesign(LEED)GreenBuildingRatingSystemisintendedtopromotevoluntaryimprovementsindesignandconstructionpractices.TextIntheratingsystem,buildingsreceivepointsforavarietyofaspects,includingreducedenergyuse,greateruseofdaylightratherthanartificiallights,recyclingconstructionwaste,rainfallrunoffreduction,availabilityofpublictransitaccess,etc[5].Ifabuildingaccumulatesasufficientnumberofpoints,itmaybecertifiedbytheGreenBuildingAllianceasa“greenbuilding”.Whilesomeoftheseaspectsmayincreaseconstructioncosts,manyreduceoperatingcostsormakebuildingsmoreattractive.Greenbuildingapproachesarespreadingtoindustrialplantsandothertypesofconstruction.NewWordsandPhrasesInnovation,n.創(chuàng)新technologicalfeasibility,n.技術(shù)可行性technologyrequired,n.技術(shù)要求projectsize,n.項目規(guī)模projectlocation,n.項目所在地innovativedesign,n.創(chuàng)新性設(shè)計prefabrication,n.配件預先制造strategicdecisions,n.戰(zhàn)略決策tacticaldecisions,n.戰(zhàn)術(shù)決策fieldexperience,n.現(xiàn)場經(jīng)驗economicfeasibility,n.經(jīng)濟可行性laborproductivity,n.勞動生產(chǎn)率residentialhousing,n.住宅建筑materialsuppliers,n.材料供應(yīng)商economyofscale,n.規(guī)模經(jīng)濟homebuilder,n.住宅開發(fā)商expectedbenefits,n.期望收益greenbuilding,n.綠色建筑beginwith，v.開始notfor----butfor,prep.不是---但是---aswellas,prep.以及associatedwith,prep.相關(guān)NewWordsandPhrasesinorderto,adj.為了beillustratedby,adv.被---證明---betestedfor,v.為了---測試beadoptedto,v.采取inthepreparationof,prep.在---準備下beintegratedwith,v.被集成Notes（1）Innovativeconceptsindesignarehighlyvaluednotfortheirownsakebutfortheircontributionstoreducingcostsandtotheimprovementofaesthetics,comfortorconvenienceasembodiedinawell-designedfacility. 創(chuàng)新概念設(shè)計被高度重視不是為了自己的利益而是為了降低成本和提高審美所做的貢獻、舒適或方便的在一個設(shè)計良好的設(shè)施中嵌入。（2）Becauseoftheambiguityoftheobjectivesandtheuncertaintyofexternalevents,screeningstudiescallforuninhibitedinnovationincreatingnewconceptsandjudiciousjudgmentinselectingtheappropriateonesforfurtherconsideration. 由于目標的歧義性和外部事件的不確定性、在創(chuàng)建新概念的不羈和明智中判斷篩選研究呼吁創(chuàng)新,并進一步考慮合適的選擇。（3）Thefirstreferstothenewtechnologiesthatmaybeintroducedinafacilitywhichisusedforacertaintypeofproductionsuchaschemicalprocessingornuclearpowergeneration. 新技術(shù)首先指的是,將被應(yīng)用于一個特定類型生產(chǎn)的設(shè)施中,如化學處理或核能發(fā)電。（4）Theinconsistentlevelsofretainedearningsoveraperiodofyears,evenamongthemoreestablishedbuilders,arelikelytodiscouragesupportforresearchanddevelopmenteffortswhicharerequiredtonurtureinnovation. 在幾年的時間內(nèi)留存收益的不一致水平,甚至在成熟的建筑商之間,對需要培養(yǎng)創(chuàng)新所需的研究和開發(fā)工作有可能造成阻礙。Notes（5）Intheratingsystem,buildingsreceivepointsforavarietyofaspects,includingreducedenergyuse,greateruseofdaylightratherthanartificiallights,recyclingconstructionwaste,rainfallrunoffreduction,availabilityofpublictransitaccess,etc. 在評級系統(tǒng)中、建筑物獲得各個方面的積分,包括能源的減少使用,大力提倡使用日光照明而不是人工照明,建筑垃圾回收,降雨徑流的還原、對公共交通的可用性進行訪問等。Exercise（TranslatethefollowingChineseintoEnglish,orEnglis