Benefits from Value Engineering Concepts and Implementation - Essay Example

25, March 2009 Value Engineering Report Introduction Value engineering is an explicit and conscious set of disciplined procedures designed to seekthe value for the initial and long term investment. It had been widely used in the construction industry for many years. Value engineering is not a design or peer review or a cost cutting exercise, but rather, it is a creative, organized effort, which analyzes the requirements of a given project for the sole purpose of achieving the essential functions at the lowest total costs of capital, staffing, energy and maintenance over the life of the project. Value and economy are improved through the study of alternate design concepts, materials and methods without compromising the value and functional objectives. Value engineering can be applied at any point in a project. Typically, the earlier application means a higher return of investment in time and effort. Tremendous benefits are obtained from value engineering. Benefits are derived comes from the start of the planning, design and the actual construction. There is a great potential of verification if the budget is adequate for the developed program. What is Value Engineering Value engineering (VE) is defined as "systematic effort that is directed in the analysis of the functional requirements of procedures, systems, equipment, facilities, and supplies for the purpose of achieving the essential function at the lowest total (life cycle) cost consistent with meeting the needed performance, quality, reliability, maintainability, aesthetics, safety and fire resistance" (Kavanagh, 1978). The implementation of value engineering includes the six steps which are (1)information,(2)functional analysis, (3)creative, (4)evaluation,(5) planning/proposal and (6) implementation/follow up (Snodgrass and Kasi, 1986). In the creative step, brainstorming session is involved. Life cycle cost alternatives for the design components are considered. Value engineering and constructability are two different ways in terms of criteria discussed. However, this does not mean that they are exclusively mutual. Activities within the two processes complement each other in the achievement of their goals. This results in construction optimization, at the same time, achieving lowest life-cycle cost. For example, value engineering would recognize the increased benefit from the early implementation (O'Brian 1976). In the recent years, the use of total quality management (TQM) has spread from the manufacturing industry to construction. Organizations using TQM are adopting a management philosophy that makes quality a strategic objective for the organization.("Total Quality Management: The Competitive Edge" 1990). The successful application of TQM for contractor and owner organization in Japan, as well as some others in the U.S, and the UK, have increased in the recognition as an effective method to improve quality and productivity. Customer satisfaction and continuous improvement are the two principal objectives of TQM (Burati, 1992). In the construction industry, the parties involved in the project, including the owner, the contractor, and the designer, play the role of customer and supplier of services. The owner supplies the requirements to the designer, then the designer supplies the plans and specifications to the contactor, then the contractor supplies the finished building to the owner (Juran, 1988). The corporate constructability program(CCP) includes the costs to start-up and maintain a corporate constructability program. The cost elements are written program procedures, computer software and hardware that contain the lessons-learned database, the constructability analysis tools and the corporate constructability coordinator (Russell and Gugel 1993). The estimated quantitative benefit for each major constructability idea may be totalled for each project and compared to the costs of constructability. This cost/benefit ratio could be a measure of the effectiveness and /or the maturity of the constructability program. Some case studies of past projects have shown cost/benefit ratios the is exceeding 1:10 ("Constructability Implementation Guide" 1993). The use of off-site fabrication techniques reduces construction costs because the direct and indirect field labour is minimized. A typical example of this is the prefabrication, preassembly or module technique compared to the use of traditional direct field labour construction techniques. An example of avoiding problem is related to the welding procedures of an owner-designed and managed gas production facility (Russell, 1992). The welding procedures are to be submitted during the construction phase. This delayed the pipe installation because of the time that was consumed in the approval process. Discussing this matter with the constructability team, welding procedures were provided months before the start of the construction thereby eliminating the delay in the construction. In a manufacturing facility, the largest door designed in a building did not look large enough to accommodate the late arrival of a tank. It came out that the tank was larger than the designed door opening. The schedule of the arrival of the tank is after the completion of the building enclosure. The constructability team requested that a door large enough for the tank to gain entry into the building without cutting a hole and patching the building enclosure. Results of the value engineering analysis conducted on the existing M1 building Since the university is keen on considering the construction of a new building which will be identical to the existing M1 building, an ocular inspection was done on the M1 building to determine the present situation of the functional elements of the building. The initial cost of the slab on ground was very minimal and the maintenance cost is small. The slab on ground has a relative humidity on the lower surface of the floor covering. The moisture behaviour of the structural material used, especially on the floor covering has adequate thermal insulation beneath the concrete slab. The time for the construction of the slab on ground does not create any delay in the construction of the other parts of the building. The slab on floor is durable over time. It can resist water vapour that normally weakens the durability of the slob on ground. The floors and stairs are of good choice. The tiles used are of good quality and expected to last long. It had been tested for its durability. It has an excellent aesthetic value and it is easy to install. It is readily available in the market and its price is not a problem. The stairs location is just fine. the construction of the stairs would not cause any delay because the different parts of the stairs are prefabricated outside of the building premise. The maintenance cost of the stairs is not a problem because the materials used are always available at any given time. The material used had undergone quality control. The material used was designed for durability and appearance over time. The external wall finish is the first line of defence against the elements. That is the reason why the external wall was given a rigid study on the materials to be used. Although the material of the wall was a bit expensive, there are features of the wall installed that in the long period of time, the maintenance cost is very minimal. The walls are insulated and help conserve energy. The cavity walls are filled with moisture resistant plastic foam or mineral wool. Internal thermal boards are fitted inside the surface of the wall. The thermal boards are beneficial to line cold outside walls, especially those facing north or east. Foil backed plasterboard are nailed to battens. The fixed battens on the wall and the thermal boards to the battens leaves a gap behind the board which trapped a layer of still, dry air -similar to double glazing the wall. The plaster finish on the exterior wall was chosen. The plaster finish consists of sand and cement with water proofer mixed. Lime was also added to slow down the drying process to avoid cracks from shrinkage. the exterior wall as well as the internal wall is made of the same material. The interior wall has a lower cost that the outside wall due to the fact that the interior wall is not exposed to direct climatic changes. The maintenance costs also vary, because the exterior wall needs to be tended more often that the interior walls. The wall paint inside the building has a longerlife than that of the exterior walls. The front window which is encased on aluminium frames would last for a life time. The initial cost of the window is just right for it does not require a large sum of money for the maintenance costs. Large windows or window frames are of aesthetic value to the building. It makes the building attractive and elegant looking the insulation properties of aluminium framed windows is almost maintenance free. The sealant used in the window frames are of good quality and usually last for as long as the building is standing. There are the windows that are steel framed. Steel window frames were properly coated with primer paints are rust proof. The steel used in the window frames are of practical costs and whether the winter cold and the hot summer. The sealant used are of good quality and easy on the budget and almost maintenance free. These are prefabricated, and the installation does not take a lot of time. It does not create obstruction of distraction to ongoing works on the other parts of the building. The window glasses are normally the last to be installed in a new building. The glass main door had an initial cost that was a bit high, but the maintenance cost is very minimal, glass doors are very elegant in looks and the only maintenance cost that adds up is the cleaning of the stains that the human hands had caused. A clean mop or hand towel will do the magic. Glass doors are also forms of insulation. It is a protection from the outside of the building. Its insulation properties are ranked to be efficient. Glass doors are prefabricated outside of the building premise, and does not cause delays in the construction processes of the building. The glass door and the door frame measurements are taken from the building plan and specifications. The glass door is the last to be installed in the construction of the building. The internal doors are prefabricated and does not cause any delay in the construction process of the building. This is because the internal doors and door frames are fabricated outside of the building premise. Doors and door frames specifications are taken directly from the working drawings of the building plan and more often doors have standard sizes. The installation of door frames does not cause any delay in the building construction. Accordingly, the selection of materials used in doors will decide the durability of the door and its frame. The doors of the building are specified as of good quality having a low maintenance cost and was made beautiful in accordance to the wood that was used. The interior doors are fire proof. The roof is made up of slates. The slates makes head turn due to the fact that it is beautiful and durable Its life span can be determined by the life span of the building itself. Since the slate are pre fabricated, the installation of it is not problem in the course of the construction processes. The roof and gutter's maintenance is necessary to enable the property to remain weatherproof. Ineffective covering can lead to expensive work to the underlying timbers and any decorative finishes which will lead to deterioration rapidly in damp conditions. In the analysis of the super structure itself for its value engineering,The structure was well established using materials that are practical, durable with minimal maintenance cost. it had been constructed with good materials, had undergone proper method and followed the specifications of its construction. It had filled in the functional requirements of strength and stability, weather resistance, fire resistance, thermal insulation and sound insulation. In strength and stability, the initial costs was planned accordingly. The materials that were used in the construction were pretested to give the maximum strength and stability. Maintenance costs of the materials were of minimal costs. This means that in the first stage of planning of the building construction, it was already agreed upon that the kind of material to be used would be of minimum maintenance cost with the maximum strength and stability. Included in the initial planning of the building construction is the aesthetic value of the building. The materials used in the structure was carefully selected designed to give the building a better look. In some areas of the structure, the insulation properties had been carefully established. The areas to have high quality of insulating materials were the large glass panels and the exterior glass main door. The steel window frames had also been insulated in such a manner that the insulating material or the sealant that was used was made sure the it would last long. The time for the construction of the M1 building in the city was carefully planned so as not to have any delays in the other areas of construction. From the time the foundation of the building was set up to the time the building was finished, the time consumed was within the timeframe of the building construction There were factors that affected the time of the construction, like the downpour of heavy rains and that the ongoing work must be suspended. All the supposed delays in the construction were all included in the planning. In the planning stage, the would be delays were taken into account and studied very carefully how to go about such situations. Value engineering had been practiced in the construction of the M1 building. This is very evident because the durability of the building over time is amazing. The functional elements of the building are seen to have good performances disregarding the composition of the materials used. Proper information, planning, design, implementation and workmanship were applied in the early part of the design analysis of the structure. The functional analysis was done very carefully so as not to commit any mistake, that may reduce the durability of the building. The creativity of the persons involved was one of the key factors that contributed to the success of the construction of said building. The careful evaluation of the created ideas contributed a lot. The planning/proposal of the building concept was excellent, time was a factor in the implementation of the design and construction. Implementation and follow up was also a big factor in the building construction. As the project engineer implement some work design in the actual work, a check in the said work is being performed for further improvement of the design. As for the investigation, and value engineering analysis in the M1 building, the whole structure was constructed with value engineering principles. Proposals for the Telford Building Project The slab on ground structures has moist in steady state condition . The particular focus is on the impact of the temperature of the subsoil, the relative humidity of the indoor air and the water vapour resistances of the floor covering and thermal humidity of the indoor air and the water vapour resistance of the floor covering and thermal insulation. The subsoil or the fill surface beneath a heated building is warm and moist. As a result, the water vapour diffusion frequently flows from the subsoil towards the drier indoor air, especially when the relative humidity of the indoor air is low. The critical section in slab on ground structures is usually the relative humidity on the lower surface of the floor covering. The moisture behaviour of the structure depends on the water vapour gradient across the structure and the vapour resistance of the structural; materials, especially of the floor covering. Adequate thermal insulation beneath the concrete slab would stabilize the temperature gradient and inwardly-directed diffusion flow. In this case, a smaller water vapour gradient is a precondition for safe use of water vapour-tight floor covering materials. We should also install thermal insulators in the external and internal walls and the ceiling. An added feature of the thermal insulator is that, when installed between internal walls, it acts as sound proofing between the rooms. The whole building must also be house wrapped. House wrapping means to weatherproof and draught proof the walls. In considering the floors and stairs, there will be some changes but the initial and maintenance cost should be minimal. The time for construction must not delay the other parts of the building that is being constructed. Since the stairs are covered in hardboard, which gives a different look to the hallway, we can remove the hardboard so that more light can be added to the hallway by using banisters instead. The cost of this will be very minimal and almost maintenance free. The designs available are all beautiful which will add attraction to the building. The construction will be done outside of the building premise and would not cause delays in the construction of the other parts opf the building. The only time that the fabricated item would enter the premise will be when the time comes for the item to be installed. The external wall finish is the first line of defence against the elements so there is a need to make a wise choice. We can use the natural stone for the external wall finish. It is possible to buy ready cut stone looking cladding which is really a shaped tile that comes in different shapes and sizes but it is easier to put into place that the stone. The stone looking cladding is a bit expensive but a little bit extra spent now on better quality materials could save a lot of money in the future. It is as beautiful as the natural stone and it is easy to install. The time for installing is shorter than the natural stone. It is available anywhere around the world and the durability matches the natural stone. The windows to be used in the new building will still be the same. Because the large glass panels look beautiful from the outside, it would be best if the large glass panels be retained. The initial cost was somewhat expensive but the maintenance cost is almost zero. The insulation on the edges of the glass panels are very reliable. The sealant used was of excellent quality and the time frame given for the installation of the aluminium window frames is very short and did not cause any delay in the other parts of the building construction. The only addition to be made in the large glass panels is the addition of glass tint. I would suggest that the glass panels be tinted to a little darker one so that there will be a more cooling effect on the air conditioning system of the building on hot summer and heating of the building on winter days. The steel framed windows at the rear of the building will still be the same. The quality of the steel frames will last for a long period of time. Having a glass door for the main entrance is one of the attraction of the building. It is not only beautiful but more functional as well. A good design for glass doors is one that is revolving. There is a control in the traffic flow of people entering the building and those that are going out of it. People getting in and people coming out of the revolving door becomes more disciplined and would like to follow the line, for if they don't, the others would stare at them and they would be embarrassed. The lighting system on the hallway just inside the main door, will have the natural light from the outside of the .building, thus it will save on the electricity in the hallway. The insulation on the sides of the revolving door will be the same as in the M1 building. The sealant used in M1 building was of good quality and I am confident that it will last for a long time. Conclusion Value engineering , with its explicit and disciplines procedures were designed in seek of value from the start of the long term investments. It had been used in the construction industry for so many years now. Value engineering, since it is a creative and organized effort analyzes the requirements of a given project for achieving the necessary functions at a very minimal total costs of capital, staff over the curtain of any given project. The improved value and economics through the concepts of alternate concept of design, the materials and the methods are improved. There are a lot of benefits from value engineering concepts and implementation. Derived benefits are obtained from the start of planning the project to the design and to the actual construction References Burati, J.L., Mathews, MF., and Kalidindi, S.N. (1992). "Quality Management Organizations And Techniques." Journal of Construction Engineering ana Management, ASCE118(1), Pp 112-116. "Constructability Implementation Guide," (1993), Publication 34-1, Construction Industry Institute, University of Texas, Austin, TX Juran, J.M. (1988). Juran of planning for quality. The Free Press, New York, NY. Kano, N. And Koura, K. (1991), " Development of Quality Control seen through Companies Awarded ther Deming Prize," Reports of Statistical Application Research, JUSE, Vol. 37, No. 1-2, pp 79 - 105. Kavanagh, T.C., Muller, F., and O'Brien, J.J., (1978), Construction Management A Professional Approach, McGraw Hill Book Co., New York, NY O'Brien, J.J. (1976). 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