Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Importance of Construction Planning

Importance of Construction Planning Construction planning and preparation play a very important role in todays construction. The effectiveness of the planning and preparation lead to the success of a project including the quality and time consumed in completing the project. A good and properly planned construction site can improve the efficiency and even the safety of the construction operation. Therefore, to construct a good building, the step of planning cannot be eliminated or skipped in order to save the construction time and money. A 20 storeys of high-rise building is to be built on the proposed site at Jalan Universiti Utama. It is planned to be used as the highest building of condominium. Before the construction is started, a several stages of preparation have been conducted in order to have the most efficient construction operation. PREPARATION STAGES 1. SITE INVESTIGATION First and foremost, a site investigation on the proposed site is conducted. Desktop study is conducted where the initial study is done using the available data and information given by JKR. Time and money can be saved due to desktop study on the proposed site. Based on the historical data, no extreme weather is expected. Then, the site investigation is conducted to decide whether the site is generally suitable to build the 20 storeys building as different location has different types of geology and geography. Previous data may not be accurate as the properties of soil keep changing due to the environment. Boring method has been done to identify the soil profile. The condition and contents of proposed site soil can be identified. Laboratory tests are conducted to determine the soil bearing strength. Based on the results, soil on the proposed site is strong enough to support the 20 storeys building. However, special dewatering equipment and blasting are required for the preparation of site. Analysis of site data is as below: Site is in urban area = no transport and labor problems Subsoil = firm sandy clay; dewatering and sheeting are needed as the water table is high Based on historical data, no extreme weather expected Amount of earthwork needed = normal 3 resident clerk of works; 15 workers normal; 75 workers maximum (estimated) 1 site office; 1 store; 2 toilets; 1 canteen; 1 car park Fencing Guard house Water, electricity, telephone Warning and sign boards 2. SITE PREPARATION Firstly, site clearing and demolition activities are conducted where tree, stump and all vegetation are removed and exist buildings are demolished. This is followed by earthworks activity, where a massive quantities of soil need to be moved. Volumes of cuts and fills are calculated properly in order to minimize the movement distance besides determine the mass haul cost and distance. Time and money can be saved. Bulldozer and backhoe are used during the earthworks. After all the earthworks activity have been done, fences are built around the proposed site perimeter. Perimeter fencing is important to ensure that the construction can be operated safely. Dewatering is then conducted in order to drain the ground water due to the high location of water table. Next, temporary buildings included site office, canteen, guard house, store, toilets and car park are built to improve the efficiency of construction operation. Temporary access road, water, electricity, phone and air conditioning are ensured available to optimize the efficiency of construction works. Finally, sign boards and warning boards are placed at the certain places to make sure that no intruder breaks into the construction site besides to ensure the safety during the construction operation. BY-LAW Periodic inspection will be carried out by the Authority during further construction. A report of each inspection shall be prepared in duplicate and a copy of the same report signed by the Authority shall be given to the owner or to his Architect/Engineer/Supervisor. Besides, owner shall submit a notice of completion of the building to the Authority. It may also submitted by the owner through his Architect/Engineer/Supervisor, accompanied by three copies of completion plan and the required documents. CONCLUSION In a conclusion, a construction stages are included site preparations, construct of sub-structures, construct of super-structures and external works. All these stages are equally important in order to optimize the efficiency of a construction operation in any industries area. SITE LAY-OUT One of the purposes of a site lay-out is to control and to increase the site efficiency. Time wastage need to be avoided by minimizing the walking distance within facilities and buildings. On the other hand, strategic material storage and usage are needed to minimize rehandling cost, breakage and wastage. Site lay-out is also needed in order to maximize the site and space utilization. Other than that, appropriate material monitoring and security can improve the efficiency of construction operation. Last but not least, the purpose of the site lay-out is to ensure the safety of workers and visitors.   Based on the above lay-out, there are several weaknesses of the site lay-out need to be improved. Firstly, there is only one entrance/exit in this site, which can cause negative effects to the construction operation. Construction operation may be delayed due to the traffic congestion at the entrance/exit. Two gates should be constructed where one is for entrance while the other is for exit. Secondly, store in the above site lay-out is located near the entrance. This may also cause traffic congestion when loading/unloading of building materials is operated. Besides, toilets that located beside the store may lead to pollution to the material if there is water leaking or overflowing in the toilet. Thirdly, the project signboard should be located near the entrance instead of inside the site. This is to ensure that visitors can find the place and get to know the information of the proposed building easily. Furthermore, the guard house should situate near the entrance and exit in order to manage the safety of the site. No intruder should break into the site for the safety of visitors and also workers. Lastly, car park is located too far away from the entrance where visitors need to pass by the construction building in order to park their vehicles. Their lives may be threatened as accidents rate in construction site is extremely high. Safety first! This site is operated by Academic Computing, Centre for Information Communication Technology, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia Todays Hits : 44,517 Total Hits : 1,060,524

Monday, January 20, 2020

Brief History Of Databases :: essays research papers

Brief History Of Databases   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the 1960's, the use of main frame computers became widespread in many companies. To access vast amounts of stored information, these companies started to use computer programs like COBOL and FORTRAN. Data accessibility and data sharing soon became an important feature because of the large amount of information recquired by different departments within certain companies. With this system, each application owns its own data files. The problems thus associated with this type of file processing was uncontrolled redundancy, inconsistent data, inflexibility, poor enforcement of standards, and low programmer maintenance.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1964, MIS (Management Information Systems) was introduced. This would prove to be very influential towards future designs of computer systems and the methods they will use in manipulating data.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1966, Philip Kotler had the first description of how managers could benefit from the powerful capabilities of the electronic computer as a management tool.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1969, Berson developed a marketing information system for marketing research. In 1970, the Montgomery urban model was developed stressing the quantitative aspect of management by highlighting a data bank, a model bank, and a measurement statistics bank. All of these factors will be influential on future models of storing data in a pool. According to Martine, in 1981, a database is a shared collection of interrelated data designed to meet the needs of multiple types of end users. The data is stored in one location so that they are independent of the programs that use them, keeping in mind data integrity with respect to the approaches to adding new data, modifying data, and retrieving existing data. A database is shared and perceived differently by multiple users. This leads to the arrival of Database Management Systems.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  These systems first appeared around the 1970=s as solutions to problems associated with mainframe computers. Originally, pre-database programs accessed their own data files. Consequently, similar data had to be stored in other areas where that certain piece of information was relevant. Simple things like addresses were stored in customer information files, accounts receivable records, and so on. This created redundancy and inefficiency. Updating files, like storing files, was also a problem. When a customer=s address changed, all the fields where that customer=s address was stored had to be changed. If a field happened to be missed, then an inconsistency was created. When requests to develop new ways to manipulate and summarize data arose, it only added to the problem of having files attached to specific applications. New system design had to be done, including new programs and new data file storage methods. The close connection between data files and programs sent the costs for storage and

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Digital Art

Digital art is a general term for a range of artistic works and practices that use digital technology as an essential part of the creative and/or presentation process. Since the 1970s, various names have been used to describe the process including computer art and multimedia art, and digital art is itself placed under the larger umbrella term new media art. The impact of digital technology has transformed activities such as painting, drawing and sculpture, while new forms, such as net art, digital installation art, and virtual reality, have become recognized artistic practices. More generally the term digital artist is used to describe an artist who makes use of digital technologies in the production of art. In an expanded sense, â€Å"digital art† is a term applied to contemporary art that uses the methods of mass production or digital media There are two main paradigms in computer generated imagery. The simplest is 2D computer graphics which reflect how you might draw using a pencil and a piece of paper. In this case, however, the image is on the computer screen and the instrument you draw with might be a tablet stylus or a mouse. What is generated on your screen might appear to be drawn with a pencil, pen or paintbrush. The second kind is 3D computer graphics, where the screen becomes a window into a virtual environment, where you arrange objects to be â€Å"photographed† by the computer. Typically a 2D computer graphics use raster graphics as their primary means of source data representations, whereas 3D computer graphics use vector graphics in the creation of immersive virtual reality installations. A possible third paradigm is to generate art in 2D or 3D entirely through the execution of algorithms coded into computer programs and could be considered the native art form of the computer. That is, it cannot be produced without the computer. Fractal art, Data moshing, algorithmic art and Dynamic Painting are examples.

Friday, January 3, 2020

Violent Video Games Do Not Cause Violence Essay - 3060 Words

Do violent video games increase aggression in the people who play them? If so then video games could be responsible for much of the bad news we hear on television. Are video games responsible for school shootings? Do producers of video games need to tone down the violence? What will happen if video games become more and more violent and realistic? On the other hand, are video games to blame at all for the increase of violence in kids? When violence in video games started to increase, people started noticing an increase in the aggression of their children as well. This brought about the assumption that the violence in video games has a large impact on the way children behave. There is no correlation between violence in†¦show more content†¦Though it can completely absorb the player, ‘ordinary life’ can re-assert itself at any time† (3-4). Huizinga’s first three theories are used to define video games. Standing alone, they offer no evidence contrary to or in compliance with the theory that violence in video games increase aggression. However, with the fourth theory, which I call the â€Å"Play is labile† theory, all of these theories demonstrate that there is no correlation between violence in video games and aggression in people who play them. The â€Å"Play is labile† theory, in terms that are more basic, describes the process by which a child resumes real life after a game is finished. When a child plays video games, the game can totally immerse them to the point where the game is real to them. Even if a video game becomes reality to a child while playing, when the game is over actual reality replaces this newly found simulated reality, and everything is back to normal again. To illustrate this point, let us compare a child playing a video game to a team playing a competitive sport. During the game, lots of aggression is used and often necessary to win. After the game, the players’ aggression dissipates and they shake hands and tell each other, â€Å"Good game.† If the child’s aggression is increased by the violence in these games, then his or her aggression will then be brought back down to normal levels after the video game is over. This theory is only one ofShow MoreRelatedViolent Video Games Do Not Cause Violence And Aggression1527 Words   |  7 PagesViolent Video Games Over the past few years, the United States has seen violence that has come from the inside of the country. Various high schools, have had shootings inside of them from some of the high school students that go to that specific school. Some experts blame the shootings by categorizing the students as someone who has been tormented and bullied basically most of life, while other experts believe the shootings were caused by the violence in video games. 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